Back in 2015, probably no one expected a Tesla Model 3 to be parked on every street corner five years later. At the time, Tesla only offered the Model S and the first rumors about the more compact car only just surfaced. Similarly on May 8, 2015.
Exactly five years ago, we wrote about rumors about the arrival of the ‘Model III’, the Model S brother who, according to the rumor mill, would arrive in 2017. In 2015, little was known about the Model 3. However, it was clear that the car would become an opponent of cars like the BMW 3 series in terms of size. They also dared to carefully mention an estimated range of 320 kilometers. It was also clear that the upcoming ‘small Tesla’ would have a nice collection of autonomous tricks in its bag of tricks.
It takes until March 2016 before CEO Elon Musk finally shows the Model 3. The car is received with open arms, because after the more expensive Model X and Model S, this Model 3 is a lot cheaper and therefore more accessible. So it is very interesting for the business market. Initially, the price is still around $ 35,000. In the meantime, the target amount has been reached for the American market (the Standard Range Plus costs $ 33,690), but in the Netherlands you still have to bring at least € 48,980 to the digital showroom.
Things are going fast after the Model 3 was unveiled in 2016. Within a day, Tesla receives almost 300,000 orders. However, it took until July 2017 before the first production-ready Model 3 saw the light of day. Subsequently, production often suffers huge delays, so that buyers have to wait much longer for their order. This primarily tests the patience of European customers. The Model 3 will only make the crossing to this continent in 2019. The further career of the Model 3 needs little explanation. Dutch sales went through the roof and the Model 3 ended by far at the top of the list of best-selling cars. We are now waiting for its higher brother: the Model Y.