Tesla has started validating orders for the game-changing Tesla Model 3 for European reservation holders, at the same time releasing details on range and pricing.
To begin with, the Model 3 will be available in Europe in two top-of-the-range versions: the Model 3 long range with all-wheel drive with 74kWh battery and 544km range (according to vehicle testing standard WLTP), and the Model 3 performance with 530km range (WLTP).
Pricing will apparently vary from country to country, according to various local news sites – the long range model will start from €57,900 ($A90,300) in Germany, €53,500 ($A83,500) with €6,000 “eco bonus” deducted in France, €59,100 ($A92,200) in Spain, 650,200 SEK ($A99,600) in Sweden and 464,020 kroner ($75,064) in Norway.
The performance model on the other hand will be available starting from €68,600 ($A107,000) in Germany, €64,300 ($A100,300) with €6,000 “eco bonus” deducted in France, €70,100 ($A109,400) in Spain, 767,200 SEK ($A117,500) in Sweden and 553,200 kroner ($89,490) in Norway.
European reservation holders will receive delivery of their new Tesla Model 3 starting from February next year according to the date of the initial booking order if validated before January 1st, a spokesperson for the Californian EV maker told AFP.
UK buyers (who need right hand drives, like Australia) will not see Model 3 deliveries until after European deliveries begin in 2019, but are being given the chance to see a Model 3 this week thanks to its arrival at Tesla’s London Park Royal and Manchester South showrooms.
The announcement for UK drivers was made on Wednesday via email, inviting reservation holders to get priority access to sit inside the mass-market EV ahead of its sales launch in the UK.
The Model 3, already on sale in the United States since July 2017, is more compact and less expensive than the Model S and Model X of the brand, and has transformed Ev pioneer Tesla into a mass EV producer.
With only three electric models in its catalog to date, the young American brand positioned itself first on the high-end, has managed to sell in recent weeks in the United States volumes comparable to those of German competitors Audi, BMW and Mercedes, yet established for a long time , and strong of a wide variety of vehicles.
Despite an onslaught of negative media, criticism, prediction of failure and the ill-wishes of “Tesla shorts”, the EV maker has gone from strength to strength.
In October 2018 it sold its 100,000th Model 3, achieving a major sales milestone in just over a year that took EV competitor Nissan 4 years to reach with its Nissan Leaf .
In the US, it has made remarkable progress becoming the fifth best-selling private car in Q3 2018, and achieving a profit margin of 20%, 5% above Tesla’s overall profit margin of 15%.
More accessible versions are expected to gradually come to market in Europe, with many no doubt looking forward to the introduction of the $US35,000 version that CEO and founder Musk has promised is less than six months away.
The manufacturer has not reported the number of bookings registered in Europe for Model 3.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.