Tesla 3 in wild??

So, I was driving home today from work at about 6 PM on Highway 12 into Sebastopol in Northern California where I live. Going the other way was a white car, small, with the characteristic front of the new Tesla! Saw it for just a moment, but it sure looked like it. Any idea if they are testing some of their pre-production cars around here? Perhaps I was hallucinating, but it really looked like it. The front was typical EV with no grill, the appearance was so characteristic. But it went by quickly. Hmm.

The Model 3 isn't a "small" car - it is only 12" shorter than a Model S. Just saying.

I was probably hallucinating. But it was uncanny. When I got home I looked at the online photos, and it sure looked like it. Well, unless I see it again I won't be able to confirm.

Some apparently have been sighted in the wild:

http://insideevs.com/tesla-model-3-spotted-in-the-wild-images-video/
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/07/02/tesla-model-3-spy-shots-pics-wild/

Are all of the instruments really going to be on that touchscreen?

LeftieBiker said:

Are all of the instruments really going to be on that touchscreen?

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Until we see a production car we won't know for certain. But I think this is one of the ways that Tesla is cutting costs on the Model 3 while at the same time turning it to its advantage by touting it as a "cool" feature. It remains to be seen how many actual owners will agree that this is a desirable thing or not.

It certainly looks like a pre-production vehicle with all those blank stretches of dashboard. And I can see a developing market for thieves: stealing the display screen and reselling it to people who have had it stolen.

SeanNelson said:

LeftieBiker said:

Are all of the instruments really going to be on that touchscreen?

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Until we see a production car we won't know for certain. But I think this is one of the ways that Tesla is cutting costs on the Model 3 while at the same time turning it to its advantage by touting it as a "cool" feature. It remains to be seen how many actual owners will agree that this is a desirable thing or not.

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This is frankly one of the things that is pushing me more towards a Bolt (or possibly a 2018 Leaf). The thought is that the Model 3 is designed for a self-driving future. You don't need the gauges in front of you because you're not the one driving. If that's the case, what's the point of a "fun-to-drive" car?

I'll reserve final judgement until they show us the final version. I own my Leaf, and can wait for the right EV to come along to replace it.

Love those lines. That is one beautiful car. IF these really do sell for under $40K, we're going to see a lot of them on the road.

Wonder what the option pricing for the Model 3 will be.

You can more than double the price of a Model S with options ($68,000 to $167,500). Any color other than black is a $1,000 extra charge.

Found this one on a Dutch site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH7oBcRwymY

oilerlord said:

Love those lines. That is one beautiful car. IF these really do sell for under $40K, we're going to see a lot of them on the road.

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Of course the Catch-22 is that if they become as popular as Beetles once were then they'll completely loose their cachet...

SeanNelson said:

Of course the Catch-22 is that if they become as popular as Beetles once were then they'll completely loose their cachet...

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Not sure about that...VW sold 21.5 million Beetles, still has cachet. A guy on my street completely restored a 1966 bug. Dark green, and very cool. Mazda has sold a zillion Miatas but they are still distinctive and have a loyal following. 911's have been around a long time too but are still sought after even though they are relatively commonplace. This was my 2004 40th Anniversary 911:



I think a car's chance of becoming a classic (and retaining it's "cachet") starts with its design, and less about how many it sells. As in the Beetle, Miata, or 911 - it endures. While the Bolt looks like a generic Korean econobox, the Model 3 has flowing, distinctive, and beautiful lines - sort of like 911 meets modern Jaguar. The car looks like it's going fast when it's sitting still.

oilerlord said:

VW sold 21.5 million Beetles, still has cachet.

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The Beetle has cachet? Boy, cachet sure isn't what it used to be! :roll:

oilerlord said:

SeanNelson said:

Of course the Catch-22 is that if they become as popular as Beetles once were then they'll completely loose their cachet...

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Not sure about that...VW sold 21.5 million Beetles, still has cachet. A guy on my street completely restored a 1966 bug. Dark green, and very cool.

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Now Beetles have a cachet. They didn't have that kind of "cool" factor when they were in production - most people just viewed them as econoboxes. Although I have to say that VW's print ad campaign did a lot to distinguish them.

I've been saying "punch bug" for a long time. While the Beetle was a basic, affordable car, it was no vanilla econobox. The car was something completely different with its charming, unique design. A revolution. Honda sold (and still sells) a lot of Civics but they haven't become a part of pop culture like the Beetle, and I doubt it ever will. Look at the ad you posted above...you could argue that Steve Jobs used a conceptual derivative in Apple's "Think Different" campaign. The Beetle oozes cachet - then, and now.

We have different interpretations of "cachet". That's fine.

The only point I was making was that the Model 3 is a great looking car with beautiful lines. I think the optioned out car we'll want may be north of $50K, so in terms of it being the next "peoples car" - probably not. I took a Model S P90D out for a test drive, and while it was a blast, it felt too big & heavy (because it is). I'm way more excited about the Model 3. Like the other 400,000+ people with the deposits - I want one.

Yes, it is pretty, isn't it? But it is a fantasy - Tesla is not capable of making it for under $50k, and won't get it to market before 2018 at the earliest. Oh well, it is a nice fantasy!

I agree on Model S - cool, but too big.

Like increasing numbers of people (not all, by any means) I prefer a practical car to a pretty one. So, the Bolt is a good design for me. Tesla's Model Y might be even better, if they don't ruin it with ridiculous bird wing doors. Of course, Model Y is an even more remote fantasy - by the time it comes to market, my Bolt will be ready for the graveyard, and quite possibly I will too! :twisted:

phil0909 said:

Like increasing numbers of people (not all, by any means) I prefer a practical car to a pretty one. So, the Bolt is a good design for me. Tesla's Model Y might be even better, if they don't ruin it with ridiculous bird wing doors.

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I have a wealthy client / friend of mine that I helped order a fully optioned-out Model X. He goes through cars like I go through laptops. We made a deal that gives me the first right of refusal when he decides to sell it. By 2020, there is the possibility that I may be the proud owner of a gently used 2017 white Model X.

The current estimate is that Tesla will build ~76,000 Model 3's this year.

http://insideevs.com/tesla-model-3-max-production-looks-to-be-about-80000-units-in-2017/

If they continue at the ~16K / month rate, they will fulfill their deposit list in about July 2019.

From your link:

"Despite the positive news coming from Tesla and CEO Elon Musk on the recent fourth-quarter earnings call, Wall Street analysts are skeptical. There are concerns about the company’s ability to live up to production dates and subsequent efforts leading to volume production of the Model 3, and stocks are dropping."

The author posted the story a few hours ago but clearly, "stocks" are not dropping. What's his angle?

TSLA has been on a tear since December: