Tesla Has Lofty Goals to Fulfill New Model 3 Orders

Tesla Model 3 (Credit: © Tesla)

Tesla expected the upcoming Model 3 to sell well, but not even it could have imagined the success it had once the order books opened. A whopping 373,000 preorders were placed when it hit the open market, leading many to believe there could be a several-year wait before most buyers would see their new car. Even more alarming was the potential wait for any new buyers.

Tesla apparently is being cool, calm, and collected about the success of the Model 3, as it has announced on its website that the “delivery estimate for new reservations is mid 2018 or later.” That’s a pretty tall order for a car company that is still in a relatively low-production mode.

Clearly, Tesla is using this blurb on its site to brush off worries that new buyers may have to wait years to see their cars. But, I am still not holding my breath for this.

Production is set to start in mid-2017, which leaves Tesla only roughly a year to produce 373,000 Model 3s and then start delivering all the new preorders. In a perfect world, that would be hard for Tesla to pull off, and we still have to consider the fact that the EV manufacturer has missed the target release date for every model it’s ever built.

While I am as excited as the next gearhead for the Model 3 – I am even considering buying one – I suggest putting your excitement on ice until Tesla officially announces production has begun.

Stay tuned for updates.