Photo: Tesla
Tesla publicly states it aims to sell 20 million EVs by 2030. Critics rightfully argue it will never get there with old vehicles in a four-model lineup. The only second-generation car the EV maker has ever committed to selling is the Roadster, which was presented in 2017. It seems the company’s strategy is focusing on refreshed versions of its current cars. According to Reuters, the next one to receive them will be the Model 3.
Four sources told the media company that Tesla is currently working on a revamped Model 3. The objective of the project “Highland” is to make the electric sedan even more simple than the current vehicle already is – it is frequently referred to as spartan. Reuters believes Tesla will apply the same approach it had with the Model S in its cheapest car: a few aesthetical changes and massive simplification.
When the starting point is a vehicle like the Model S, that is relatively easy to achieve. On the other hand, the Model 3 is already criticized for being too simple, containing a single screen that concentrates vehicle information, infotainment, and the operation of several functions in the car. Reducing that even more will be quite a challenge.
Reuters mentioned how Tesla had adopted massive cast parts to make the Model Y assembly faster. The electric crossover made at Giga Austin has a cast structure for the front end, one for the rear end (which the Model Y made in other locations also has), and a structural battery pack. That reduced the number of parts composing the platform to three. The refreshed Model 3 should follow the same concept, but Reuters could not confirm that.
The production of the revised electric sedan at Giga Shanghai should start in the third quarter of 2023. Reuters’ sources did not confirm when that will happen with the Model 3 made in Fremont, but it would not make sense to change the sedan in China and not in the U.S. as soon as possible. After all, Tesla still sells a large share of Model 3s in its home market.
With Tesla’s strategy just to make its vehicles simpler without changing them much, the project revamping the Model 3 deserves a name rectification: “Highlander” would fit it much better. Who wants to live forever? Tesla models do, at least in production lines.
When the starting point is a vehicle like the Model S, that is relatively easy to achieve. On the other hand, the Model 3 is already criticized for being too simple, containing a single screen that concentrates vehicle information, infotainment, and the operation of several functions in the car. Reducing that even more will be quite a challenge.
Reuters mentioned how Tesla had adopted massive cast parts to make the Model Y assembly faster. The electric crossover made at Giga Austin has a cast structure for the front end, one for the rear end (which the Model Y made in other locations also has), and a structural battery pack. That reduced the number of parts composing the platform to three. The refreshed Model 3 should follow the same concept, but Reuters could not confirm that.
The production of the revised electric sedan at Giga Shanghai should start in the third quarter of 2023. Reuters’ sources did not confirm when that will happen with the Model 3 made in Fremont, but it would not make sense to change the sedan in China and not in the U.S. as soon as possible. After all, Tesla still sells a large share of Model 3s in its home market.
With Tesla’s strategy just to make its vehicles simpler without changing them much, the project revamping the Model 3 deserves a name rectification: “Highlander” would fit it much better. Who wants to live forever? Tesla models do, at least in production lines.
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