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Were you a lazy European who didn't bother getting up early on the last day of March 2016 to place an order for the Model 3, and now you regret your passiveness? Or maybe you were circumspect of the company's ability to deliver on their promises and wanted to see the final product and read a few reviews before committing?
Well, fret not because the good people out to make a profit have the solution for you. Yes, it is going to cost you a considerable premium, but what did you expect? Back in 2016, you could either be either cheap or bold, and it seems like you chose the former. Now, you'll actually have to pay much more, Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge.
After a slow start, Tesla is now delivering the Model 3 pretty much all over the North American continent, but it is yet to expand beyond the Atlantic ocean. The first European customers are expected to receive their cars in a few months, but it probably all depends on how well the production ramp-up is going.
According to its self-imposed target (which has been pushed back several times already, so another postponement wouldn't look well at all), the Fremont plant should be assembling 2,500 units a week by the end of this month. We have no idea what the current output is, but Tesla is going to have to tell everybody during the first week of April, so we'll soon find out.
But even assuming the worst, those Europeans with enough money and determination can already buy a Model 3 off the so-called gray market. The cars are imported from the U.S. with only a few miles on the clock - ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand - and sold to the impatient customer from abroad for a substantial profit.
A quick search on Germany's (and probably Europe's) most important car-selling website, mobile.de, will yield exactly four results, with three of them already nestled on German soil and one sitting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, awaiting shipping as soon as an interested party arises.
As far as prices go, they range from €65,000 all the way to €89,990 (that would be the equivalent of $80,000 and $110,800). Needless to say, you could buy some very nice cars for that kind of money, but for someone who desperately wants a 3, that argument is as solid as telling a hungry person who can't afford to buy food that they have enough money for a bottle of water.
Before you rush out to make the mistake of your life, consider this: the Tesla Supercharger network in Europe uses a different connector (because reasons), so you would only be able to charge the car at home or third-party level 2 charging stations. If that's not a deal-breaker - canceling the car's road trip ability - then we really don't know why you would even want a Tesla.
After a slow start, Tesla is now delivering the Model 3 pretty much all over the North American continent, but it is yet to expand beyond the Atlantic ocean. The first European customers are expected to receive their cars in a few months, but it probably all depends on how well the production ramp-up is going.
According to its self-imposed target (which has been pushed back several times already, so another postponement wouldn't look well at all), the Fremont plant should be assembling 2,500 units a week by the end of this month. We have no idea what the current output is, but Tesla is going to have to tell everybody during the first week of April, so we'll soon find out.
But even assuming the worst, those Europeans with enough money and determination can already buy a Model 3 off the so-called gray market. The cars are imported from the U.S. with only a few miles on the clock - ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand - and sold to the impatient customer from abroad for a substantial profit.
A quick search on Germany's (and probably Europe's) most important car-selling website, mobile.de, will yield exactly four results, with three of them already nestled on German soil and one sitting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, awaiting shipping as soon as an interested party arises.
As far as prices go, they range from €65,000 all the way to €89,990 (that would be the equivalent of $80,000 and $110,800). Needless to say, you could buy some very nice cars for that kind of money, but for someone who desperately wants a 3, that argument is as solid as telling a hungry person who can't afford to buy food that they have enough money for a bottle of water.
Before you rush out to make the mistake of your life, consider this: the Tesla Supercharger network in Europe uses a different connector (because reasons), so you would only be able to charge the car at home or third-party level 2 charging stations. If that's not a deal-breaker - canceling the car's road trip ability - then we really don't know why you would even want a Tesla.
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