Tesla To Open Model 3 Orders In March 2016

Tesla Retail Store (Credit: © Tesla)

Everybody seems to be buzzing about the Tesla Model X, which is the California automaker’s new crossover vehicle. The new model is launching this month and making huge waves. While no one is denying it’s a big deal, something even more important just happened.

CEO Elon Musk dropped a huge bomb on Twitter, revealing that the upcoming Model 3 will open up for orders next March.

The Model 3 promises to be huge for Tesla. While the Model S and Model X are great playthings for people like Oprah Winfrey, the average car shopper can’t even begin to afford either one. Some have speculated that much of the animosity towards Tesla comes from this class division, but that’s about to change in a big way.

With a starting price of just $35,000, the Tesla Model 3 is much more accessible. The car will help increase electric vehicle adoption rates, maybe even pushing a dramatic spike. Once March rolls around, we’ll see just how many people line up to put a deposit on the Model 3, giving an indication of just how big it will be. If the preorders for the Model X are any type of indication, demand should be pretty strong. The Model 3 could also take Tesla from a niche brand and move it into the mainstream.

Nobody has even seen what the Model 3 will look like, but that hasn’t stemmed the flow of speculative renderings. It probably also won’t stop people from getting excited to own the car once it launches in a couple years (or so, given Tesla’s habit it pushing new model release dates back). Actually, Musk says a reveal of the Model 3 is coming in March as well, although it likely won’t be a production vehicle but instead a prototype.

One of the big key ingredients to make the Model 3 viable is a fully operational Gigafactory. The humongous facility in Nevada will allow Tesla to churn out lithium-ion batteries for less, which will allow for the low price of the new vehicle.