Tesla Model 3 Mid Range: 260-Mile Range, $45,000, Deliveries Begin December

Meet the Model 3 Mid Range; Elon Musks newer, cheaper middle child.

byBrian Evans|
Electric Vehicles photo
Share

Elon Musk took to Twitter Thursday night to announce a newer, slightly cheaper, mid-range Model 3. Now, it's not the elusive $35,000 standard range car that was promised back when the 3 was revealed, but a medium-range trim that will fit right smack in the middle of the lineup.

According to Tesla's website, the new mid-range Model 3  will have an EPA-estimated range of 260 miles, a top speed of 125 miles per hour, and will do zero to 60 of 5.6 seconds. The base price of the mid-range Model 3 will be $45,000 which is $4,000 cheaper than the long-range rear-wheel-drive Model 3. The long-range RWD Model 3 no longer appears on Tesla's website, however, according to a tweet from Elon Musk the "Model 3 long range, rear-wheel drive is still available for ordering off-menu for another week or so." 

The mid-range Model 3 comes with a new battery pack and not just a software limit like Tesla has used in the past. This means the mid-range Model 3 should be cheaper for Tesla to produce and weigh less than the long-range RWD Model 3 that it replaces. The newest trim weighs in at 3,686 pounds, compared to the long-range RWD trim at 3,814 pounds. The mid-range Model 3 is only available in RWD at this time. 

The mid-range Model 3 offers the following options:

  • Sport Wheels $1,500
  • Midnight Silver Metallic Paint $1,500
  • Deep Blue Metallic Paint $1,500
  • Pearl White Multi-Coat $2,000
  • Red Multi-Coat $2,500
  • White and Black Leather Interior $1,000
  • Enhanced Autopilot $5,000

Missing from the list is the Full Self Driving pre-order option that Tesla has allowed owners to prepay for the feature when it becomes viable.  Musk stated in a tweet that the Full Self Driving is, "Also available off-menu for a week. Was causing too much confusion." 

“As Model 3 production and sales continue to grow rapidly, we’ve achieved a steady volume in manufacturing capacity, allowing us to diversify our product offering to even more customers," a Tesla spokesperson told The Drive. "Our new Mid-Range Battery is being introduced this week in the U.S. and Canada to better meet the varying range needs of the many customers eager to own Model 3, and our delivery estimate for customers who have ordered the Standard Battery is 4-6 months."

Delivery estimate for the mid-range model is six to 10 weeks. 

stripe
Car TechElectric VehiclesNews by BrandTesla News