Tesla Model 3 Release Date, Price, Specs, and Updates: 'Smaller and Lower Cost Sedan to Release in 2 Years'

Sep 03, 2015 06:17 PM EDT

If you aren't familiar with Tesla, they only just posted profits in 2013 for sales on their electric cars and other more green tech components.  CEO and tech mogul Elon Musk envisions Tesla Motors supplying every consumer with an electric car, and he has interesting ones that will be revealed.  One of them is the Tesla Model 3.  It was originally called the Model E, codenamed Tesla BlueStar in the original plan.  About a year ago, an announcement at Twitter pronounced it the Model 3, and it will be unveiled in 2016.  This is what is known about the all-electric 2016 Tesla Model 3 Price and Specs, not to mention the 0-60. 

According to Ars Technica, Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to give updates about the long-awaited Model 3.  He states that "Model 3, out smaller and lower cost sedan will start production in about 2 years".  This means that the first Model 3 won't be available until 2017, and the tweet adds "fully operational Gigafactory needed".  The Gigafactory that Musk is referring to is a $5 billion dollar plant that Tesla is building near Sparks, Nevada in partnership with Panasonic. 

We do know that the batteries for the Tesla Model 3 will come from the Gigafactory, and they should have a range of up to 300 miles on a single charge.  It may or may not get the 90 kWh battery that came with the Model S, but it could have an even better battery than that, possibly having a fuel tank with a range of 423 miles.  It more likely will have a realistic range of over 200 miles. 

Autocar reports that the details of the Tesla Model 3 have yet to be revealed, but sources have indicated a performance of up to 62 mph to rival that of the BMW M3, which currently has a 0-62 mph time of 4.1 seconds.  Right now, the Tesla Model S P85 D can achieve 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds, or at least that was what it was announced last week. 

Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's chief designer, has stated that the Model 3 will "boast more distinctive styling than the relatively conventional Model S".  He also stated that "we will become more experimental as we develop as a brand" and "our cars need to have some personality".

All signs, like a recent article in the Auto Express UK show that the Tesla Model 3 would have made its debut in Mach 2016.  This date could have been planned for the Geneva Motor Show, where it could make its world debut by such rivals like the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class, Audi A4, and the Jaguar XE. 

The Model 3 is expected to "sit on bespoke underpinnings rather than a cut down version of the all-aluminum Model S platform".  It is also said that the Model 3 will be three-quarters the size of the Model S and a very significantly lower price point which should be in the range of $35,000.  According to Market Watch, the pre-orders are expected to start in March.