March 31, 2016 is an important moment for Tesla Motors. On
that day, CEO Elon Musk introduced the fourth and most important car in the
history of the company: Tesla Model 3.
The fourth car, but why the name is Model 3? To answer this,
we must first understand the vision of Tesla which's called "Master
Plan". Simply put, Tesla wants to realize the commercialization of
electric cars in three stages.
The first stage is to change the view of the world which
thought that the electric car was ugly, slow and wasn't attractive. The mission
was accomplished through the Tesla Roadster, which came in a sporty design and
qualified performance. However, because the technology was still new, the price
was set too high, but this became the guideline to step to the second phase.
The second stage is to create quality electric car that can
be reached by a wider audience. The mission was realized through the Tesla
Model S. But after that, Tesla considered that the SUV category also played an
important role in the automotive industry. Thus, Tesla Model X was created.
The third stage is to make electric car as a mainstream
product. This is the reason why the presence of Model 3 is very important. It
is the most affordable electric car ever made by Tesla. But all economic
aspects don't affect the quality offered.
Physically, Model 3 is a mix of the Model S and Model X. The
design is very attractive, especially the roof which is a thorough glass panel
that connects to the windshield.
Minimalist is an important factor in the Model 3. The
simplicity can be seen when entering the cabin that can accommodate five
people. The dashboard looks clean; there is only one 15-inch LCD which becomes
the main instrument panel for the driver. In addition to slightly smaller than
the Model S and Model X's LCD, the LCD panel of Model 3 is placed in a
horizontal position, rather than vertical.
About the performance, Elon Musk explained that Tesla had
never created a slow car. Model 3 can reach 100 km/h in less than 6 seconds.
While the distance can reach 346 kilometers on a single charge, and certainly
there will be a variant with a larger battery capacity that has further
mileage.
All the variants of Model 3 come with support of Tesla
Supercharger, aka super-fast battery charging. In addition, the new car is also
carrying Autopilot feature as standard, which means that consumers don't need
to spend extra money to be able to enjoy the features of semi-automatic
steering system.
All of this is offered for $ 35,000 for the base variant.
Musk convinced that consumers wouldn't be able to get a better car than the
Model 3 in this price range. Tesla will meet customers' orders at least at the
end of 2017