Five Things You Didn’t Know About the Tesla Model 3
We bring you up to speed on Elon Musk’s mass-market electric car.
Since the Tesla Model 3 debuted on March 31, Elon Musk hasn't been shy about sharing new information about his company's upcoming mass-market electric car. While some of this news has flowed through traditional channels, Musk has also taken to his beloved Twitter channel for a sort of informal Q&A. In the days following the car's launch, the charismatic CEO has responded to the complaints and queries of potential customers and interested parties with concise replies. Which, in turn, has given the rest of us with an Internet connection a whole lot of new info about the Model 3 to sift through.
And since The Drive knows you can't get enough of the Model 3 (seriously, the devotion to reading about this car is kind of cult-like), we're highlighting five new Model 3 details we've learned in the past few days. Because, hey, we need to fill the time between now and the new Tesla's late-2017 availability somehow.
1. Tesla now has more than 325,000 Model 3 pre-orders.
And that's as of April 7—nearly a week ago. That works out to more than $300 million in cash deposits. Furthermore, if every one of those orders goes through at an average price of $43,000 per car, as Musk suggests, those orders add up to $14 billion of Model 3s.
2. The front end may look better come production.
Multiple people expressed a, shall we say, distaste for the Model 3's front end, which vaguely resembles Donald Duck after being punched in the bill. Musk replied that Tesla is still refining the front fascia.
3. The trunk will fit a bike—or "almost anything" else.
Several people voiced displeasure over the Model 3's small cargo bay door, which sits in stark contrast to the capacious hatchback openings on the Model S and Model X. Musk said Tesla is working on embiggening the opening a bit.
4. The production dashboard will blow your mind.
Some of the Tesla-rati said they were unhappy with the prototype's odd steering wheel and dashboard setup. Musk said the version in the demo car was just a placeholder, and the real version will look nothing like that.
5. There will be a vegan leather option.
Musk admitted as much to a concerned soul on Twitter. "Vegan leather," for what it's worth, is our favorite oxymoron.
