The era of the $35,000 Tesla electric car has finally begun. The long promised standard edition Tesla Model 3 is now available to buy.
Tesla had pledged to release the most affordable 220-mile range model, which has a top speed of 130mph and goes from 0-60mh in 5.6 seconds, since the Model 3 began rolling off the production line in June 2017. However, for the last year and a half, e-car fans have only been able to buy higher-end models.
Today’s announcement from Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk also brought some surprise news. Tesla is shifting its business model to online sales only, meaning most of the showrooms around the world are set to close their doors.
Remaining stores will simply become information centres, with the company pushing would-be customers towards buying online, which it says can be done in less than a minute. In a blog post on Thursday, Tesla said the shift has allowed it to make the lower-priced Model 3 available ahead of time.
