Production of upgraded Tesla Model 3 Performance variant likely to start in 2024

Just over a month ago, Tesla unveiled its updated 2024 Tesla Model 3 which has been codenamed Project Highland. 

At the global reveal in September, many were pleased to see the improvements on offer but those looking to upgrade to a Performance variant missed out, as Tesla removed that variant from its configurator, hinting that this variant was yet to come.

Now, Tesla Model 3 Performance order holders in Germany have had their expected delivery date pushed out into the second and third quarters of 2024. It was first reported by Strahlberger on Twitter/X, who had a multi-coat red Performance variant on order.

Existing Tesla Model 3 Performance orders in Germany🇩🇪 are now shown in the Tesla App as expected delivery in April to July 2024.
Maybe a good sign that there will be a new Performance Model 3 Highland.😃✌️ pic.twitter.com/M37taxZ5q7

— Strahlberger (@Strahlberger) October 4, 2023

This was further confirmed by another Model 3 Performance order holder in Sweden which saw the midnight silver order being pushed out to the second quarter of 2024.

Same in Sweden. Might switch now for a LR, that’s a long wait. pic.twitter.com/gygCQ4HM6N

— Jens Berg (@JensBerg) October 5, 2023

From these Tesla Model 3 Performance order holder reports, it’s likely that the first deliveries of the high-powered dual-motor variants are expected to start in the second quarter of next year. 

This means that the first production run of the upgraded 2024 build vehicles is likely to occur in the first three months of next year.

Like Australian-delivered Tesla Model 3s, European-delivered Model 3 variants are also produced at Tesla’s Shanghai factory. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the upgraded Tesla Model 3 Performance lands in Australia before making it to Europe in Q1 next year.

 The current Performance variant has been one of the fastest cars on the Australian market. The dual-motor drivetrain propels the car from 0-100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds. A combined output of closer to 400 kW and 660 Nm is delivered by the two motors according to EVDB.

It’s equipped with a nickel-based battery pack with a 78.1 kWh battery pack which can deliver up to 547 km of range.

The Performance variant comes with a few additional features which is missing from the dual-motor Long Range model. These include:

• Performance brakes with red callipers 
• Top speed of 261 km/h in the in-built Track Mode

It does all this while delivering a great level of safety thanks to Tesla’s Autopilot and safety suite features. 

The performance variant is highly regarded amongst electric sportscar enthusiasts so an upgrade in the works will likely receive high interest from EV sports car enthusiasts.

More information on the specs along with the price of the new Model 3 Performance is likely to be released in the coming months. We will be monitoring the delivery times of local deliveries in the coming months too and can’t wait to get behind the wheel of one when it lands next year.

Riz Akhtar

Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.