By Kelly Hartog
The first official Tesla Model 3 electric display cars were unveiled at two locations this month: Stanford Mall in Palo Alto and Westfield Century City Mall.
Crowds lined up for hours for a glimpse at the new Model 3 cars. Advanced reservations ensured that attendees could actually take the opportunity to sit in CEO Elon Musk’s latest design for the popular vehicle. The flow of foot traffic was so high that Tesla imposed a time limit of just two minutes for attendees to sit in the car and check it out.
While there are no plans yet to allow people to test drive the car, there are still 455,000 people who have placed a $20,000 deposit to receive the vehicle as it rolls out of the factories.
However, the company has been plagued with production problems, pushing back the release dates twice now, with only a few thousand having been delivered to customers. Tesla estimates those who have pre-ordered a car could be waiting 12 to 18 months to receive it.
Tesla boasts that this is a “smaller, simpler and a more affordable electric car.” The Model 3 starts at $35,000 (compared to previous models costing around $75,000), but the one on display at Westfield had many extras and costs $50,000.
Musk is hoping that the latest model, which has been designed as the world’s first mass-market electric car is the first step in Tesla’s mission to help people switch to vehicles with sustainable energy.
The Model 3’s top speed is 130 miles per hour and interior features include a 15 inch touchscreen display, a dual zone climate control system, FM/internet streaming radio and Wi-Fi and LTE internet connectivity.
Musk promised that drivers will eventually be able to do “pretty much anything” in the car via voice controls thereby allaying concerns that the new display with its myriad of touch screen options could lead to distracted driving.
