When it comes to convertible cars, Tesla
currently has had no model on sale post the discontinuation of the original
Tesla Roadster. Though, there is a solution for all those who do want a Tesla
electric car with that ‘wind-in-the-hair’ motoring experience.
USA-based Newport Convertible Engineering
(NCE), which is a well-known name in the field of aftermarket convertible car
solutions, has come up with one for the Tesla Model 3, which is currently the
most affordable Tesla. NCE has already tried its hands on many vehicles,
including the all-electric four-door Toyota Prius, so the Tesla Model 3
Convertible it has come up with is worth noticing for.
As expected, the biggest change in this
Tesla Model 3 Convertible is the removal of the factory roof and rear
windscreen. NCE has used a retractable fabric soft top for converting the sedan
into a convertible. The company offers customers the option to choose between a
manually folding roof and an electrically folding roof. However, unlike many
other convertible cars, the B-pillars of the Tesla 3 Convertible have been left
intact. That is majorly due to the fact that they house some cameras for the
Autopilot driver assistance technology which is one of the biggest attractions
of the EV, as well as to maintain sufficient reinforcement and stiffness.
Newport Convertible Engineering asks for a
period of 2-3 months for the complete task of converting the Tesla Model 3 into
a convertible car. While the manual folding option costs around US$ 30,000, the automatic folding option will set you back by US$ 40,000. The Tesla Model 3 is priced from US$ 33,690 in
the U.S. market.
The smallest model from Tesla in its
global lineup, the Model 3 is available in three different variants – Standard
Plus, Long Range and Performance. The Long Range and Performance variants come
with a long-range battery, higher-spec onboard charger and dual-motor all-wheel
drive configuration.
While Tesla might not be having a proper
convertible car on sale right now, it has confirmed the Tesla Roadster for
launch. This go-fast Tesla is the quickest car in the world with a claimed
0-100 km/h sprint of just 1.9 seconds. It is already available to order, and it
carries a base price of US$ 200,000.