Tesla Model 3 Ludicrous spotted for right-hand-drive markets

The Tesla Model 3 has been one of Australia’s top-selling EVs since it launched locally back in 2019. Through many of those early years, the car remained unchanged in the styling department until it was refreshed in September, 2023. 

The refresh saw only two of the three variants revealed with the Performance variant missing out on the launch. 

Now more than six months later, it appears that the new Tesla Model 3’s Ludicrious variant is on its way to right-hand-drive markets such as Australia, ahead of an official launch. 

Previously this variant was known as the Performance variant, and had a starting price of $83,400 before on-road costs.

In a new video by wuwa, a drone operator near Tesla’s Shanghai factory, several right-hand-drive Model 3 Ludicrous were spotted parked in the outbound car park near the factory. 

These right-hand-drive vehicles were spotted in the video by Andy D, an avid Tesla enthusiast, and shared on X.

These vehicles had sections of the cars covered in a wrap to conceal what was under it. The covered sections include:

• Front bumper
• Rear bumper
• Rear lip spoiler
• Wheels

All of these sections are updated on the Ludicrious variant of the car to give the vehicle a more aggressive styling on the road.

On top of the visual styling, the new model is expected to get a decent boost in acceleration too, getting closer to 0-100 km/h in around 3 seconds.

The right-hand-drive variants indicate that it’s likely to be for markets in Australia, UK or parts of Asia. It does hint that production in Shanghai of this sports model has begun.

Earlier this month, photos of the new left-hand-drive Model 3 Ludicrous emerged from a media event in Malibu, California.

Those images showed the rear spoiler, diffuser and the front splitter. There was also more aggressive styling on the front bumper, which is a key differentiator over the RWD and Long Range variants currently on sale in Australia.

In Australia, the updated single-motor RWD variant currently starts at $61,900, meanwhile, the dual-motor Long Range is now $9,000 more with local pricing at $70,900 before on-road costs. Pricing and specifications release of the new variant is imminent.

The new Ludicrious variant will be the fastest EV Tesla sells in Australia and is expected to win the hearts of many sports electric car fans across the country when it finally lands in the coming months.