After nearly six years in production, the cheapest Tesla is reportedly getting a facelift.
The Tesla Model 3 will celebrate its sixth birthday next July, and if all goes to plan, it will receive its first facelift soon after. Tesla is working on a major update for the Model 3, with the aim of beginning production in the third quarter of 2023, Reuters reports. Codenamed “Highland,” the update seeks to reduce components used in the interior in an effort to cut manufacturing costs.
The Model 3 already has a minimalist interior, with just a single center infotainment screen, no gauge cluster, no visible air vents, and no dedicated controls for steering wheel or mirror adjustments. It’s hard to imagine what more can be cut. Reuters also reports the infotainment system will be revamped, and there will be additional changes to the exterior, and possibly to the powertrain.
Tesla released a major update for the Model S and Model Y last year, both of which controversially ditched the traditional round steering wheel for a yoke. A revised, landscape-orientation center touchscreen was added, and bizarrely, the gear selector was done away with. Instead, the car predictably selects park, reverse, and drive, though the driver can override that with the touchscreen, or with a touch-sensitive pad on the center console. This update also brought out the wild Plaid models, which raised output to 1020 hp via a new tri-motor drivetrain.
With Tesla, it’s hard to predict exactly what’s to come, so we won’t go so far as to say that the Model 3 update will follow in the same footsteps as the Model S and Y updates. Tesla has never offered an ultra-high-performance version of the Model 3 anyhow.
Whatever it entails, this update is coming at a crucial time. When the Model 3 was launched, the only other affordable EV on the market was the Chevrolet Bolt. Now, tons of automakers have EVs priced right around the Model 3’s $48,190 base price, with many more to come. Reuters also points out that in China, there are even more options for affordable EVs, so Tesla has been forced to cut Model 3 and Model Y prices dramatically.
Chris Perkins Senior Editor Chris Perkins is the Web Editor for Road & Track magazine.
Keyword: Tesla Reportedly Has a Model 3 Update Coming, Finally