Renewed Tesla Model 3 seems imminent

Tesla is working under the working name ‘Highland’ on a radically renewed Tesla Model 3, the extremely popular model of which the brand registered almost half a million worldwide in 2022. It is not known when the extensively facelifted car will arrive. We can guess how it will go: one fine day it suddenly appears in the configurator and a few weeks later it is just there. After all, that is often the case with the idiosyncratic Tesla.

That moment may be closer than you think. On X, formerly known as Twitter, the usually well-initiated Chris Zheng says that preparations have started at the Tesla factory near Shanghai. In a few weeks, according to Zheng, only renewed Model 3s will roll off the production line. That is immediately important for Europe, since the rear-wheel drive base-3 that is delivered here rolls off the production line in Shanghai. The transition to a new model in such a factory is often planned during the quiet summer period, so this story also seems logical in that sense.

However, there is another reason to believe that the renewed Tesla Model 3 is almost here: the delivery time. According to the ‘Design Studio’, anyone who orders a new Model 3 now has to wait until October or November for his car. A Performance lasts even longer: it will be November, December or January. For Tesla standards, that is very long. For example, with a Model Y, Model S or Model X, ‘order now’ will indicate a delivery time in August or September.

This is what we know about the renewed Tesla Model 3 ‘Highland’

The Tesla Model 3 ‘Highland’ appeared earlier on this site. Based on that photo and other reports, we expect at least the following changes for the Tesla Model 3:

• A new nose, with flattened headlights.
• A new front bumper, without separate fog lights.
• A modified rear with new rear light units.
• New wheel designs.
• A new dashboard.

In addition, there are rumors about a new battery pack. Its arrival is certainly possible, but on the other hand, Tesla does not have to make technical changes coincide with the facelift. After all, changes are often made to the powertrain of Tesla models, for example due to the arrival of new (LFP) batteries, the adjustment of sprint times and the further reduction of consumption. Earlier this year, for example, the rear-wheel drive Long Range version was reintroduced after an absence of several years.

The Tesla Model 3 will be available in the Netherlands from the beginning of 2019, but has been available in the US since 2017. In 2020 there was already a mild facelift round, with black window frames, new taillights, other headlights and revised wheels appearing over a period of several months . A little later, the interior also underwent some changes, mainly due to the arrival of new door panels. The upcoming Highland version brings a much more extensive package of changes, after which the smallest and most affordable Tesla should undoubtedly be able to handle it for many years to come.