--- title: "Tesla Model 3 Caught Cold-Weather Testing in New Zealand" description: "Dirty and dented, it's the roughest-looking example we've seen." date: "2017-07-28" modified: "2017-07-28" authors: - name: "Kyle Cheromcha" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/12969/tesla-model-3-caught-cold-weather-testing-in-new-zealand" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Electric Vehicles" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Tesla News" tags: - "cold" - "compact" - "Electric Vehicle" - "Elon Musk" - "model 3" - "New Zealand" - "sedan" - "Tesla" - "Tesla Model 3" - "Testing" --- # Tesla Model 3 Caught Cold-Weather Testing in New Zealand ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* As [journalists, deposit-holders, and electric vehicle fans]() eagerly await [Friday night's "handover party"]() during which Elon Musk will preside over the first Tesla Model 3 deliveries to 30 lucky individuals, an interesting video has popped up showing a dinged-up example Tesla's planned mass-market EV undergoing cold-weather testing in New Zealand. Taken by spy photographers [with *Ecotricity*,]() the undated video shows a Tesla Model 3 coming around a corner on a dirt road somewhere in the mountains of southern New Zealand this month. There's patchy snow everywhere, so it's obviously cold, and pictures at the end of the clip show it on a snow-covered lot ringed by giant plows and snowcats. In June, [*Electrek* reported]() that the first Model 3 seen outside the U.S. had been spotted at the Auckland, NZ airport, and this appears to be the same car. [*Electrek* also named]() the site of the video as a South Island ski resort called the Snow Valley Lodge, a full 22 hours from Auckland and the site of the country's only Supercharger. In such rugged, remote conditions, the little Model 3 almost looks like a time machine that took a wrong turn. Other than the fish-out-of-water aspect, another noteworthy detail is that large dents are visible on the driver's side in the last picture. Whether this speaks to its lack of grip on snow or just an after-hours drift sesh gone wrong, we can't say. Still, it does appear to be the first image of a Tesla Model 3 with body damage. The Tesla Model 3 will only be offered with rear wheel drive to start, with the dual-motor all wheel drive option shelved in the name of ["minimizing configuration complexity"]() until production is ramped up. But that's not necessarily a problem, since proper tires can make all the difference, as [we've pointed out before.]() Given that this video was probably taken sometime in the last month, hopefully nothing troublesome popped up...or Friday's party could give way to a killer hangover. https://youtube.com/embed/XIod1XltVw8 ## Author Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()