Tesla Slashes Lead Times & Puts The Model 3 In The Spotlight In New Homepage Updates
A keen-eyed reader over at the Tesla Model 3 Owners Club noticed that Tesla has shortened up the delivery window on the three variants of its Long Range Model 3.
The fastest member of the Model 3 family, the Performance Edition, is getting a bit faster, as its lead time has been shorted to just 1–3 months. Faster is the whole point, right? Lead time on the rear-wheel drive variant was similarly trimmed from 3–5 months to 1–3 months. This comes as Tesla continues to ramp up production of the higher-volume offering. Stepping down a notch, the All-Wheel Drive / Dual Motor offering can now be had in 2–4 months.
To the dismay of many Model 3 reservation holders, the lead time on the Standard Range offering is still holding firm at 6–9 months, putting it out of reach for buyers looking to snag the full US federal tax credit for electric vehicles. The credit is officially running on borrowed time now, as Tesla confirmed on its incentive site, to CleanTechnica, and to others that the 200,000th vehicle was delivered to a customer earlier this month.
Along with the timing changes, Tesla put the Model 3 front and center on the new Tesla homepage as a clear indication that the car is ready for the spotlight (h/t Tesla Model 3 Owners Club). Tesla opened up orders on all of the Long Range variants of the vehicle to the public and the new website updates make it clear that it is preparing for some serious volume. Back at the factory, Tesla pulled out all the stops to hit its production target of 5,000 cars per week last month, which continues to be one of the key metrics for investors keeping tabs on the brand.
Moving forward, Tesla is focused on stabilizing its current Model 3 production at 5,000 cars per week before ramping up to a target of 7,000 cars per week by the end of the year. In parallel to stabilizing base production, Tesla is preparing itself to add the higher volume, lower cost Standard Range version that hundreds of thousands of reservation holders are waiting for.
In parallel to the shorter lead times, CleanTechnica is adding a new member to the family, having locked in an order for a new Black Long Range Model 3. Tesla confirmed that it had a specific vehicle designated within 24 hours of the order. Just 36 hours into the process, it has all of the documentation, financials, and trade-in information ready to go.
At this point, it is anyone’s guess if our reservations from day 1, our location in California, or former Tesla owner status had any impact on the timing, but we will continue to push for clarity as the process moves forward. Your mileage may vary…
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