It’s here: The first ever production Model 3 has rolled off Tesla’s assembly line and into the possession of its owner – Elon Musk. The founder and CEO tweeted pictures of the new vehicle, which he only got because the actual first pre-order customer gifted Musk his place in the queue as a birthday present.
Alongside the pics, Musk tweeted an interesting bit of trivia about who gets dibs on the first edition of any new Tesla car: It’s the first person who pays full price for the vehicle. Musk earned that honor for the Roadster and Model X, but not for the Model S, he noted.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2017
This first production Model 3 is black, a good callback to the original Model T from Ford, which famously came in any color you wanted as long as it was black. The Model 3 will have more paint options, but it’s one of the very few things customers will be able to customize on the vehicle, as Tesla is limiting options early to ease the production process.
As expected based on prototype models and early spy shots of the car, it basically looks like a shorter Model S, but with a similar sporty feel for a four-door sedan. Musk’s big reveal didn’t go long on technical details, however, so we’re still waiting on some of that info, including the exact range beyond the minimum 215 mile spec, for example.
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Tesla noted recently that its first customers beyond Musk can expect deliveries to start around July 28, so that’s the date to look for more info.
Bonus: here is another new photo of the Model 3.
https://twitter.com/olivercameron/status/884164521513766912