Elon Musk Clarifies Tesla Model 3 Won't Outperform Model S

Sam McEachern
by Sam McEachern

Tesla founder Elon Musk recently cleared the air in regards to the automaker’s upcoming Model 3 sedan, telling his Twitter followers the more budget friendly Tesla won’t outperform the Model S.


Musk said in a Tweet that some of his less informed followers think the Model 3 is the next-generation of Tesla cars, similar to iPhone 2 vs. iPhone 3, when it will actually undercut the Model S and be sold alongside the full-size sedan. He added the Model 3 is “just a smaller, more affordable version of the Model S,” with less range, power and fewer features.

The outspoken CEO also revealed the Model 3 will be sold in rear-wheel-drive format only at first, citing the desire to minimize configuration complexity to help keep the production launch on schedule. Customers that put down a pre-order deposit on the Model 3 who want all-wheel drive will be first in line to get the dual motor car when it’s released, which will likely be in 6 to 9 months.

Earlier this week, Musk said Tesla intends to skip the “beta” test phase of the Model 3’s development cycle and go straight to “early release” versions. This move will save Tesla money and also help it meet its tight production launch schedule, but it could backfire if those “early release” cars turn out to be problematic. Musk is confident, however, and believes the Model 3 will be much less glitchy at launch than the Model S and Model X.

[Source: Car & Driver]

Sam McEachern
Sam McEachern

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  • Driver123 Driver123 on Mar 25, 2017

    “Tesla intends to skip the “beta” test phase of the Model 3’s development cycle and will go straight to “early release” versions. Musk is confident, however, and believes the Model 3 will be much less glitchy at launch than the Model S” Right. Haven’t we heard this line from every software company on Earth? And guess what happened… So people put deposit to get a real car and instead get privilege for “early release”… Beta test for your own money…

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    • Hgrunt Hgrunt on Mar 28, 2017

      @mcs I don't have much of an understanding of automotive production, but what defines a "Beta" prototype and tooling, how does it usually differ from production, and what is the rationale for taking this step before going into full production?

  • Orenwolf Orenwolf on Mar 25, 2017

    There's a good mea culpa from Musk in that interview: Musk: "Because I was a dumb idiot and didn't realize at the time that it would cause confusion" "Model 3 was going to be called Model E, for obvious dumb humor reasons, but Ford sued to block it, so now it is S3X. Totally different :)"

  • Zerofoo Zerofoo on Mar 26, 2017

    So if I decide to wait in line for a dual motor car - am I gambling that the $7500 federal credit will be gone by the time my car is delivered?

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    • WheelMcCoy WheelMcCoy on Mar 26, 2017

      @jkross22 Ok, correcting my post to say: "The talk-to-the-invisible-hand people would prefer to eliminate it entirely ..." Don't forget gasoline is heavily subsidized by military action. Reframed as a security issue -- why trade with oil rich nations that hate us -- encouraging EVs is a responsible thing to do.

  • Whatnext Whatnext on Mar 26, 2017

    It's always depressing to wade into a Tesla post as there are so many haters in them. Whatever happened to Americans celebrating ingenuity instead of trying to tear it down? As to the Model 3, I was always under the impression it was the Tesla meant to bring EVs to the masses, so why would it outperform the more expensive Model S?

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    • JimZ JimZ on Mar 28, 2017

      @Ryoku75 the problem is, to a Tesla fan a "hater" is anyone who doesn't sing their praises from on high.

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