Home » car reviews » Tesla Model Three: Company releases its most affordable car yet but few people can actually buy it, The Independent

Tesla Model Three: Company releases its most affordable car yet but few people can actually buy it, The Independent

Tesla Model Trio: Company releases its most affordable car yet but few people can actually buy it

Many people who have paid deposits won’t actually get hold of the car for years

  • Andrew Griffin
  • @_andrew_griffin
  • Monday thirty one July two thousand seventeen 15:Legitimate BST

The Independent Tech

Tesla’s newest car is its cheapest ever, by a long way. But that doesn’t mean you can actually buy it.

The company has released its Model Three, the long-promised affordable version of its innovative electrified vehicle. It costs half as much as the cars Tesla has made before – but won’t arrive until at least 2018.

There are about 500,000 people already on the waiting list, who’ve given Elon Musk’s company a deposit to reserve their car. The company hopes to make 500,000 vehicles in its very first year to sate most of those orders – but the plan is vague and is likely to run into problems.

Gadgets and tech news in pictures

Gadgets and tech news in pictures

Designed by Pierpaolo Lazzarini from Italian company Jet Capsule. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electrical engines, which is able to shove the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.

Jet Capsule/Cover Pictures

A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Contraptions Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech two thousand seventeen held in Bangalore

A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Instruments Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech two thousand seventeen held in Bangalore

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Photos

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Pictures

The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie ‘Avatar’ and is claimed as a world very first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Pics

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Photos

Waseda University’s saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi

Waseda University’s saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session

A test line of a fresh energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

A test line of a fresh energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

A visitor attempts a Nissan VR practice at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

A man looks at an exhibit entitled ‘Mimus’ a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the fresh Design Museum in South Kensington, London

A fresh Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv

Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electrical Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Showcase in Los Angeles, California, U.S

The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the commence of a fresh era for Jaguar. This is a production preview of the Jaguar I-PACE, which will be exposed next year and on the road in 2018

Japan’s On-Art Corp’s CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company’s eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot ‘TRX03’ and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan

Japan’s On-Art Corp’s eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot ‘TRX03’

Japan’s On-Art Corp’s eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot ‘TRX03’ performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan

Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company’s concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

The interior of Singulato Motors’ concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

Singulato Motors’ concept car Tigercar P0

A picture shows Singulato Motors’ concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota’s “connected strategy” in Tokyo. The Connected company is a part of seven Toyota in-house companies that was created in April 2016

A Toyota Motors employee demonstrates a smartphone app with the company’s pocket plug-in hybrid (PHV) service on the cockpit of the latest Prius hybrid vehicle during Toyota’s “connected strategy” press briefing in Tokyo

An exhibitor charges the battery cells of AnyWalker, an ultra-mobile chasis robot which is able to budge in any kind of environment during Singapore International Robo Expo

A robot with a touch-screen information apps stroll down the pavillon at the Singapore International Robo Expo

An exhibitor demonstrates the AnyWalker, an ultra-mobile chasis robot which is able to budge in any kind of environment during Singapore International Robo Expo

Robotic fishes swim in a water glass tank displayed at the Korea pavillon during Singapore International Robo Expo

An employee shows a Samsung Electronics’ Gear S3 Classic during Korea Electronics Showcase two thousand sixteen in Seoul, South Korea

Visitors practice Samsung Electronics’ Gear VR during the Korea Electronics Grand Fair at an exhibition hall in Seoul, South Korea

Amy Rimmer, Research Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, demonstrates the car manufacturer’s Advanced Highway Assist in a Range Rover, which drives the vehicle, overtakes and can detect vehicles in the blind spot, during the very first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

Chris Burbridge, Autonomous Driving Software Engineer for Tata Motors European Technical Centre, demonstrates the car manufacturer’s GLOSA V2X functionality, which is connected to the traffic lights and shares information with the driver, during the very first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

Ford EEBL Emergency Electronic Brake Lights is demonstrated during the very first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

Full-scale model of ‘Kibo’ on display at the Space Dome exhibition hall of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center, in Tsukuba, north-east of Tokyo, Japan

Miniatures on display at the Space Dome exhibition hall of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center, in Tsukuba, north-east of Tokyo, Japan. In its facilities, JAXA develop satellites and analyse their observation data, train astronauts for utilization in the Japanese Experiment Module ‘Kibo’ of the International Space Station (ISS) and develop launch vehicles

The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to the music during the Japan Robot Week two thousand sixteen at Tokyo Big Glance. At this biennial event, the participating companies exhibit their latest service robotic technologies and components

The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to music during the Japan Robot Week two thousand sixteen at Tokyo Big Glance

Government and industry are working together on a robot-like autopilot system that could eliminate the need for a 2nd human pilot in the cockpit

Aurora Flight Sciences’ technicians work on an Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automantion System (ALIAS) device in the rock hard’s Centaur aircraft at Manassas Airport in Manassas, Va.

43/43 Flight Simulator

Stefan Schwart and Udo Klingenberg preparing a self-built flight simulator to land at Hong Kong airport, from Rostock, Germany

Tesla has never made 100,000 cars in a year before, let alone 500,000.

“We’re going to go through at least six months of manufacturing hell,” Mr Musk told reporters at Tesla’s factory. “It’s going to be fairly a challenge to build this car.”

Musk said around 500,000 people worldwide have already put down a $1,000 deposit to reserve a Model Three. People ordering a car now likely won’t get it until late 2018. Cars will go very first to employees and customers on the West Coast; overseas deliveries embark late next year, and right-hand drive versions come in 2019.

The very first ones were given to staff at a party to feast the car’s launch.

Elon Musk unveils Tesla’s very first mass-market car

The Model three has long been part of Palo Alto, California-based Tesla’s plans. In 2006, Musk said Tesla would eventually build “affordably priced family cars” after establishing itself with high-end vehicles like the Model S, which starts at $Sixty-nine,500. This is the very first time many Tesla workers will be able to afford a Tesla.

“It was never our aim to make expensive cars. We desired to make a car everyone could buy,” Musk said. “If you’re attempting to make a difference in the world, you also need to make cars people can afford.”

For the base price, customers will get a Model three with two hundred twenty miles (322 km) of range. But the price can rapidly increase from there. Black is the only standard color, for example; any other color is $1,000 extra. A fully loaded Model three with three hundred ten miles of range and Tesla’s utter semi-autonomous Autopilot system costs a hefty $59,500.

That could be a spread for some buyers, especially since there are boundaries on the $7,500 U.S. tax credit for electrified cars. Once an automaker sells 200,000 electrified cars in the U.S., the credit phases out. Tesla has already sold more than 126,000 vehicles since 2008, according to estimates by WardsAuto, so not everyone who buys a Model three will be eligible.

Potential customers also could lose faith if Tesla doesn’t meet its aggressive production schedule, or if the cars have quality problems that strain Tesla’s puny service network. The compact Model three may not entice a global market that’s increasingly shifting to SUVs, including all-electric SUVs from Audi and others going on sale soon.

“There are more reasons to think that it won’t be successful than it will,” says Karl Brauer, the executive publisher for Cox Automotive, which wields Autotrader and other car buying sites.

But Musk says Tesla worked hard to make the Model three simpler and cheaper to make than Tesla’s previous vehicles. It has one dashboard screen, not two. It doesn’t have the fancy door treats that caused problems on the Model S, or the gull-wing doors of the Model X SUV. It’s made primarily of steel, not aluminum. It has no instrument panel; the speed limit and other information normally there can be found on the center screen. It doesn’t even have a key fob; drivers can open and lock the car with a smartphone or a key card.

Tesla’s fans are certain. Robin Santucci was one of the very first in line to order a Model three at the Santa Monica, California, Tesla store in March 2016. He still doesn’t know when he’ll get a car or exactly what it will look like, but he’s already installed charging equipment in his garage.

“I believe in the vision Tesla has,” said Santucci, who works in digital advertising.

Sam Abuelsamid, a senior researcher with Navigant Research, said even if it doesn’t meet its ambitious targets, Tesla has done more than anyone to promote electrical vehicles.

“A decade ago they were a little more than golf carts. Now all of a unexpected, EVs are real, practical vehicles that can be used for anything,” he said.

Extra reporting by Associated Press

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