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Tesla Model 3 Dual-Motor AWD, Performance Starting Production In July 2018

Even though the waiting list for the Model 3 is on the unbearable side for most people with $35,000 to spend on an electric vehicle, demand is still strong and the Model 3 still has a lot to show against the competition.
Tesla Model 3 Dual-Motor AWD 16 photos
Photo: Tesla
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Starting next week, the order books for the Dual Motor and Performance will open, with production scheduled to kick off in July 2018. The confirmation comes from none other than head honcho Musk.

Elon took to Twitter to answer a question posed by Ryan McCaffrey of IGN, to which the chief executive officer of Tesla replied with the information presented beforehand. The South African-born magnate added that air suspension is coming “probably next year.” A bit of a letdown considering how much is left until whoever-knows-when-in-2019.

The letdown gains another dimension if you bear in mind the Model S 75D and Model X 75D both feature Smart Air Suspension as standard. Turning our attention back to the Dual Motor and Performance options, it is worth remembering that all-wheel-drive was priced at $5,000 on the Model S until it became standard. Upgrading from 100D to Performance specification in the case of the Tesla Model S, on the other hand, costs almost as much as an all-new Model 3.

Whatever pricing the Palo Alto-based automaker has in the pipeline for the Dual Motor and Performance options of the Model 3, there’s no denying that pre-production prototypes are being tested on the public roads of California.

The “Tesla 2018” promo clip published on YouTube on May 9th starts with a wheeless prototype on an elevator, flaunting a yellow-ish label on the hub with “Proto 1” written on it.

Based on the curvature of the wheel arch and the fact that the hub and brake rotor are both spinning, this is some sort of teaser for the all-wheel-drive Model 3 Dual Motor.

But then, the clip cuts to a matte-black Model 3 that’s driven fast inside an industrial building. The matte-black finish of the body and the red-painted calipers thicken the plot, with some voices claiming that this is the Model 3 Performance.


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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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