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The (115,000) People Who Blind-Ordered a Tesla Model 3 Will Not Be Disappointed

So it finally happened. All those who were sick of news about what the new Model 3 is going or isn't going to be can now rejoice: the electric sedan is finally out of the bag, so the world can resume its natural course.
Tesla Model 3 7 photos
Photo: Tesla Motors
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For all the build-up, the event itself was rather underwhelming - a bunch of people crammed into an industrial hall holding their breath and expecting to be shown their next car. After a short (very short) introduction made by Tesla design director Franz von Holzhausen, Elon Musk took the stage and carried the proceedings on.

Unfortunately, the servers probably couldn't handle the overload of traffic so the connection wasn't perfect, but when its jerkiness managed to overlap with Musk's uhms and ahs, it was all good. The CEO made a quick recap of the whole Tesla range, explaining why things had to be the way they were, the importance of all the previous cars and why now is the perfect moment for the Model 3.

At times, the atmosphere resembled that of a rock concert, reminiscent of those moments when the lead singer engages in a dialogue with the crowd. And the Tesla crowd was quite vocal, making sure its feelings were heard whenever the collective conscience had something to say. Like when Elon Musk thought it was funny to joke about the car not being there. We all knew he was going to show it, but at the same time you can't really be sure with these people.

But after a brief moment of darkness, the car was brought on the stage - three of them, actually - and everybody could breathe a sigh of relief. And it was a double sigh: not only did Musk keep to his word and showed the Model 3, but it is also quite a beautiful car. Weird, yes, but also beautiful.

The description given to us two days ago - a mix between the Model S and Model X - doesn't quite cut it. The Model 3's most striking feature is the absence of any kind of cutout on its front end, something that will undoubtedly increase the aerodynamics of the car together with its efficiency. From some angles, the front appears to resemble a Porsche Panamera, but in a good way.

Equally important is the interior that does away with the large vertical screen, replacing it with a horizontal one. Hooray, common sense has prevailed. Or maybe it swivels, who knows? Other than that, it resembles something people from 30 years ago would have imagined the future will look like: clean, sterile surfaces with simple yet elegant design.

During the presentation, Musk said that over 115,000 reservations were made during the first 24 hours since the stores opened, so even the most optimistic predictions (quoting a number around 100,000) were exceeded. We doubt that those who didn't want to risk it and waited to see what the car would look like were disappointed, so expect that number to continue to grow.

Musk said that deliveries should start by the end of next year - he even joked about it ("I am fairly confident they should start by then"), referencing to the whole Model X debacle. This means we're almost two years away from the moment the first Model 3 will reach its new owner, so a lot can happen in the meantime. The price remains as promised - $35,000, and the CEO insisted that even in its base spec with no options, the Model 3 is still a great car. Well, he said "the best car you can get for anywhere near that money," but he might be a little biased.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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