A preliminary spec sheet for the Tesla Model 3 has
found its way onto the internet, along with photos of pre-production prototypes
of the new EV. The white Tesla Model 3 above was spotted by user Caine_Virgil
and posted on Reddit. While the shot of the car’s rear was posted by
user luxendary on the Tesla subreddit.
The Model 3 is listed as being 4694 mm long,
considerably shorter than the Model S, which is 4978 mm from nose to tail.
Unlike the Model S, which is available with two rearward facing jump seats, the
Model 3 will be sold exclusively as a five-seater vehicle.
The Model 3 has a more traditional sedan-style boot,
rather than its bigger sibling’s liftback rear. Between its front and rear
boots, the Model 3 has a total of 396L worth of luggage space. That’s
considerably less than the 850L offered by the Model S.
In launch trim, at least, the Model 3 will have a 0-97 km/h time of 5.6 seconds. That’s
considerably slower than the range-topping Model S P100D with Ludicrous Mode,
which can reel off that standard in a mere 2.3s.
Thanks to the Model 3’s smaller battery pack, the
new car is estimated to have a range of over 346 km. According to the US
EPA’s standard, the Model S can do between 400 and 540 km between charges,
depending on the model.
Like the Model 3 concept presented last year, the
production car will do without an instrumentation panel ahead of the driver.
Instead there will be a single 15.0-inch touchscreen in the centre of the
dashboard. As revealed earlier, the Model 3 won’t have free access to the
company’s networking of Supercharger fast charging stations.
The sheet also lists a number of premium features
that seemingly won’t be available on the Model 3 at launch. These include an
aluminium body, HEPA filtration system, smart air suspension, glass roof,
panoramic sunroof, auto-presenting door handles, and 21-inch performance
wheels.
Possibly as part of the company’s efforts to guide
customers towards the more expensive, but already available, Model S, the sheet
notes: “As we continue to build out our production capacity to meet the high
number of advanced reservations, deliveries for Model 3 orders placed today are
not expected until mid-2018.”