Tesla unveils upgraded Model 3 in first right hand drive market

Tesla has unveiled a right hand version of its upgraded 2024 Model 3 – dubbed Project Highland – indicating that it could be arriving in Australia some time soon.

The new Model 3 was unveiled in Norway last week, where a few journalists reviewed the car, but all of these were the left-hand-drive version of the sleeker model.

Late last week, the new Model 3 had its unveiling in Toky, according to reports from Business Insider Japan. These were shared on X by Tesla enthusiast Tslachan.

A new white Model 3 was on showcase with its narrower headlights and a cleaner front for Japanese media to have a look at. It’s one of the first official sightings of a right-hand-drive version of the updated Model 3.

This hints that there could be more right-hand-drive units produced as part of the production run and showroom examples are likely to also head to other similar markets. It would include Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

In Japan, Tesla’s online configurator states estimated delivery times from December 2023 to March 2024. 

The Hong Kong configurator states that Q4 2023 estimated delivery times are expected. One interesting point to note is that in Hong Kong, only the Long Range dual-motor variant is available to order while other markets show the Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3 as well as the Long Range variant.

In both Australia and New Zealand, the estimated delivery time remains from January to March 2024.

The new 2024 Tesla Model 3, brought with it a myriad of much-requested changes in terms of the comfort levels of the car along with a focus on design and efficiency by Tesla. 

On the inside, the comfort levels have been improved via the introduction of various cabin noise reduction elements, including the back glass roof materials made up of acoustic glass as well as the rear windows.

From an efficiency point of view, the range on the most popular single-motor model has been bumped up to 513 km. That’s up from the current generation which offers up to 491 km of WLTP range according to official figures.

With the right-hand-drive 2024 Tesla Model 3 making its way to Japan, we look forward to keeping an eye out in Australia to see when the first showroom vehicles arrive for everyone to experience before first customer deliveries in early 2024.