Tesla Model 3 Release Date News, Production Update: Elon Musk Reveals Photos of All-Electric Sedan's First Unit
With production of the Tesla Model 3 now underway, CEO Elon Musk has offered a look at the first production unit of the upcoming all-electric sedan.
On Saturday, July 8, Musk announced on Twitter that the first Model 3 had rolled out of the production line and was "going through final checkout." The executive also promised that pictures would be coming soon.
A few hours later, Musk posted two photos of the first production Model 3. The first is a black-and-white image of the all-electric sedan's front end and wheels while the second image, in full color, shows off the four-door vehicle's silhouette.
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Musk also revealed that he is actually the lucky owner of the first Model 3 unit. That privilege was initially supposed to go to venture capitalist Ira Ehrenpreis, who was the first person place a full deposit for the Model 3.
However, "[he] gave those rights to me as my 46th bday present," Musk explained.
At this time, Ehrenpreis is not the only person awaiting his own Model 3. Currently, it is said that there are over 500,000 reservations for the all-electric sedan, which isn't surprising considering its entry-level price tag of $35,000. That amount is even expected to go lower following federal tax incentives.
According to reports, only 29 other units will be delivered to customers this month. However, production of the Model 3 is expected to ramp up in the following months with 100 units to be manufactured next month. The figure will rise to 1,500 units by September and around 20,000 units are expected to be produced each month starting in December.
A handover party for the first batch of Model 3s is scheduled for Friday, July 28. It is expected that the final technical specifications of the all-electric sedan will be revealed during the upcoming event. It is not yet known if the production version of the Model 3 has received significant changes compared to the original version that was announced and the subsequent prototypes that were spotted testing in the previous months.
