In September Tesla announced some upgrades to the Model 3 electric car. Recently the Model 3 has been eclipsed in sales by the Model Y because it’s bigger and looks like an SUV. However the electric medium sedan hasn’t reached the end of it’s life cycle yet.
The long range version of the Model 3 can now travel 629 km (WLTP) on a single charge with some updates to exterior styling which has been optimised for maximum aerodynamics.
A new interior design has been added which features wraparound styling, premium materials and customisable ambient lighting And for the first time in Model 3, backseat passengers can adjust the climate or watch movies on an 8” rear touchscreen located in the centre console.
There’s also a remastered steering wheel creates an uncluttered driving experience. Model 3 also adopts drive selector shifting using the touchscreen. Stalks are replaced with on-wheel controls including both haptic switches and physical buttons. Smart Shift automatically selects the correct driving direction to start your trip.
Tesla are also claiming a whisper-quiet cabin in the latest Model 3 thanks to wrap-around 360-degree acoustic glass, and take in the sky under an all-glass roof.
Bold new lights transform Model 3. Wing-shaped headlights with integrated fog lamps set a new design benchmark while improving night driving safety. Unlike it’s predecessor, the new taillight is designed into one piece, and integrated into the boot lid to improve fit.
These may seem like minor changes though they reflect the typical subtle model upgrade cycle used by traditional to refresh products and justify a new marketing push.
An interesting thing we noticed while reading through the changes to the latest Tesla Model 3 was the warranty. It’s 4 years/80,000km on the vehicle, and 4 years/160,000 on the battery and drive unit. Both warranties state ‘whichever comes first’ so high kilometre and low usage owners may miss out once the term expires.
With more manufacturers offering 7 year unlimited kilometre warranties on their electric vehicles, will this limited timeframe cause potential buyers to doubt the quality and longevity? Looking at the monthly VFACTS sales results, maybe not.
