Tesla Opens Up Model 3 Ordering To The Public As Production Continues To Ramp Up
Just weeks after it opened up Model 3 ordering to all reservation holders in the United States, Tesla has blown open the floodgates entirely, letting the public order a Model 3 directly from the US version of the Model 3 landing page.
The move builds on the recent addition of the All-Wheel Drive and Performance editions to the Model 3 configurator and does away with the lengthy reservation line for any holdouts looking to get into a Long Range, Premium Package Model 3. The change showed up on the Model 3 landing page at Tesla.com when an overnight change added a “Design Yours” button that leads directly into the Model 3 configurator.
It is not clear if Tesla will push out all future options directly to the public on a first-come, first-served basis or if it will revert to the reservation order timing and prioritization for future option additions. This outstanding question looms especially large over Model 3 reservation holders waiting for the $35,000 Model 3, which will come with the Standard Range battery (220 miles of range) and will not require the Premium Upgrade Package.
Today, the minimum build requires all buyers purchase the Long Range battery, which bumps the range of the vehicle up to 310 miles per charge but comes with a $9,000 price tag, and the Premium Upgrade Package, which adds another $5,000 to the price. Those two requirements bump the otherwise “affordable” Tesla Model 3 up to a rather steep $49,000 base price.
The addition of the All-Wheel Drive/Dual Motor configuration can also be added onto that base for an additional $4,000, which brings the zero-to-sixty time down from 5.1 seconds to 4.5 seconds and should increase the overall range of the vehicle a few percent as well. That determination is still awaiting the final verdict from the EPA on the official range of the All-Wheel Drive / Dual Motor build.
If you’re really looking to break the bank … and the speed limit, the Model 3 Performance build is also available. It requires the All-Wheel Drive option and is an additional $11,000 and unlocks some other exclusive options that bump the price up even further.
Elon took to Twitter this morning to confirm that Tesla has already produced at least 100 of the Performance builds of the Model 3, which are destined for showrooms across the United States.
Offering up test drives in the top-of-the-line build is a standard trick to tease drivers into paying more than planned for the vehicle. If you haven’t driven a Tesla but have plans to buy one, my advice would be to stay out of a showroom. You already know its good. Stay at home and make the less emotionally driven decision on which model you can afford.
To order a Model 3 today or just to drool over all of the new configuration options in real life, head over to the Model 3 landing page to today and start to play. Be careful, though, too much playing with that page inevitably results in an unplanned surprise showing up several months from now…
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