A Tesla budget? What you give up (and get) with the cheapest 3 EV model

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Tesla often does things contrary to the way cars were sold, and their model Y deployment program was no exception. While automakers often hang on the cheapest models and then try to raise the price with options, Musk and his company essentially do the opposite.

The company started as a high-end, high-margin electric vehicle supplier, costing six digits and "nbsp;", and then went downmarket to model 3, which starts at $ 35,000 for the standard model. more options. But before being able to get a Tesla Model 3 on the (relative) market, the company first produced the (much) more expensive models (Long Range, AWD and Performance). Money earned on higher-margin cars would likely help finance the construction of standard variants that are less profitable but more for the mass market. At least, this is the reasoning that the general manager Elon Musk gave for the unorthodox strategy. And when the company was & nbsp; hit with over 400,000 pre-orders for model 3, everything seemed to be going as planned. until it is not.

It remains to be seen whether it is a viable long-term strategy, but for many occasional vehicle buyers under prospect hoping to place a brilliant Tesla in the driveway, the question arises of knowing what will happen – and will not come – in the most fundamental model 3. compared to the more expensive variants.

So, Forbes spent some time on the Tesla configurator checking and unchecking the radio buttons to see how much it would cost to wind up a model 3 and what exactly is included at this price. The answer came fairly quickly, but with a little confusion.

Clicking on the template 3 "custom order" button on the front page of the Tesla website, you will get direct access to Model 3's build and release options page, which will land on the standard base configuration, priced at $ 26,950. With an asterisk.

This enticing figure is unsuitable, if not utterly misleading, because it includes the current federal tax rebate ($ 3,750) and an estimate of gasoline savings ($ 4,300). How did Tesla find this last figure is a little mysterious, because some cars will certainly be slightly driven (gas savings), while others will see hundreds of kilometers of daily duty carrying families, passengers and commuters to and from (save more).

Rest assured, when comes the time of & nbsp; pay the car, it will cost at least 35,000 USD in cash (plus if you finance it), ands the site says when it comes time to "check-out" with your purchase, taxes and fees will also apply. But they are not detailed either, as they are likely to vary from one state to another, so bad news will probably arrive closer to the delivery date. & Nbsp;

You will need to pay $ 2,500 on your credit card to make a deposit, and then wait six to eight weeks for the arrival of your car. Also, depending on the state in which you live, & nbsp; additional rebates or tax credits can save you additional funds. So the real final price is a little complicatedbut the exact number on the Tesla website is $ 35,000 for the most basic model 3. This figure corresponds to the reference.

In the lower left corner of the site, you will find the truth about the prices, in a small text box indicating the price before and after. "savings." The figure of $ 35,000 is there, and clicking on the "Money Loan" & nbsp; The box will also show you approximate monthly payments ($ 485 / month) if you choose this channel. It's a bit of a game about the price of Tesla, unfortunately and useless. Tesla certainly wants customers to understand that they will not need to buy gasoline and will save on this traditionally important automotive expense, but there are far better ways to do that than ever before. 39 with a misleading price and an asterisk.

By clicking on the big NEXT blue background in the lower right corner, you browse the colors, inside and nbsp;and& nbsp; Autopilot options. The site always uses by default the most basic options included. Four quick clicks later, it's time to go through the check with your base model of $ 35,000, model 3.

Here's what you get:

Basically, everything is black. Black paint, black interior, black wheels. Henry Ford would agree. And if you like simplicity, this car is made for you because it includes manual seat adjustment, manual steering wheel adjustment, fabric seats and a basic audio system (but with Bluetooth). Tesla indicates that the performance specifications provide a distance of 220 miles (EPA estimate) and a respectable time of 5 to 6 seconds between 0 and 60 seconds. The maximum speed is 120 miles at the hour. So, it is not left out.

On the technical side, & nbsp; even the stripper model still has the goods, including the large central touchscreen with "standard" maps and navigation, A / C, tinted glass roof, dimmed side mirrors, heated and heated, custom driver profiles for multiple drivers and four USB outlets in the center for storing phones.

This is what you do not get, compared to the next option level, which stands at $ 2500 and is called the "Standard Plus Range":

LED fog lights, dual docking stations for smartphones, a more "immersive" audio system and 12-way electric and heated front seats with more materials and upscale finishes. & nbsp; The Plus variant also improves performance, with a range of 240 km (+20), a top speed of 130 km / h (+10) and 0-60 in 5.3 seconds instead of 5.6.

The standard version of the car does not include any autonomous autopilot technology, which adds $ 3,000 or $ 8,000 to the price, depending on whether you want the basic configuration or the full auto-capability kit. The charger is also not included, and you do not get free boost with any of the standard versions. Domestic chargers cost about $ 500 plus installation, which is equivalent to installing a 220-volt appliance. A box at the end of the build procedure tells Tesla that you are interested in pricing a home billing setup.

Is the Plus an upgrade worthy of the most basic version of Model 3? That's a pretty good basket of benefits at $ 2,500, or about 7% more than the base price, especially when it includes an increase in the range of almost 10%. Plus, it's always better in this category.

That the basic black model 3 is worth it depends on the buyer. At the moment, 35,000 USD still represents a big chunk of change for a car, but if this buyer wants to switch to electricity, it is undoubtedly the best offer in terms of performance, security and innovation. Whether the look of the car (especially the simplistic interior) is a draw or negative is to be debated. But considering how the company was buried under pre-orders at the time of its announcement, it seems that Tesla's gamble is bearing fruit.

And how much does a model 3 cost if you want each possible option in the leading car, known as Model Performance? 71,000 USD, & nbsp; without asterisk.

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Tesla often does things contrary to the way cars were sold, and their model Y deployment program was no exception. While automakers often hang on the cheapest models and then try to raise the price with options, Musk and his company essentially do the opposite.

The company started as a high-end six-digit high-end electric vehicle supplier and eventually switched to model 3, which starts at $ 35,000 for the most-used standard model of options. But before being able to get a Tesla Model 3 on a (relative) price, the company first produced the (much) much more expensive models, Long Range, AWD and Performance. Money earned on higher-margin cars would supposedly help pay for less profitable but more mass-market variants. At least, this is the reasoning that President and CEO Elon Musk gave for unorthodox strategy. And when the company received more than 400,000 pre-orders for Model 3, everything seemed to go as planned, until it was no longer the case.

It remains to be seen whether it is a viable long-term strategy, but for many occasional vehicle buyers under prospect hoping to place a brilliant Tesla in the driveway, the question arises of knowing what will happen – and will not come – in the most fundamental model 3. compared to the more expensive variants.

So, Forbes spent some time on the Tesla configurator checking and unchecking the radio buttons to see how much it would cost to wind up a model 3 and what exactly is included at that price. The answer came fairly quickly, but with a little confusion.

By clicking on the Model 3 "Custom Order" button on the front page of the Tesla website, you can directly access the Model 3 build and release options page, which lands on the standard base configuration, at the cost of … $ 26,950. With an asterisk.

This enticing figure is unsuitable, if not utterly misleading, because it includes the current federal tax rebate ($ 3,750) and an estimate of gasoline savings ($ 4,300). How did Tesla find this last figure is a bit mysterious, as some cars will be slightly less driven (less fuel consumption), while others will see hundreds of kilometers of daily duty carrying families, passengers and commuters (save more).

Rest assured, when paying for the car, it will cost at least $ 35,000 in cash (plus if you finance it), ands the site indicates that when it comes time to "verify" your purchase, taxes and fees also apply. But they are not detailed either, as they are likely to vary from one state to another, so bad news will probably arrive closer to the delivery date.

You will need to pay $ 2,500 on your credit card to make a deposit, and then wait six to eight weeks for the arrival of your car. In addition, depending on the state in which you live, there may be additional discounts or tax credits, which allows you to save additional funds. So the real final price is a little complicatedbut the exact number on the Tesla website is $ 35,000 for the most basic model 3. This figure corresponds to the reference.

In the lower left corner of the site, you will find the truth about the prices, in a small text box indicating the price before and after "savings". The figure of $ 35,000 is indicated. If you click on the "Funds / Loan" box, you will also get approximate monthly payments ($ 485 / month) if you choose this channel. It's a bit of a game about the price of Tesla, unfortunately and useless. Tesla certainly wants customers to understand that they will not need to buy gasoline and will save on this traditionally important automotive expense, but there are far better ways to do that than ever before. 39 with a misleading price and an asterisk.

Clicking on the big NEXT blue background in the lower right corner, you go through the color, inside and Autopilot options. The site always uses by default the most basic options included. Four quick clicks later, it's time to go through the check with your base model of $ 35,000, model 3.

Here's what you get:

Basically, everything is black. Black paint, black interior, black wheels. Henry Ford would agree. And if you like simplicity, this car is made for you because it includes manual seat adjustment, manual steering wheel adjustment, fabric seats and a basic audio system (but with Bluetooth). Tesla indicates that the performance specifications provide a distance of 220 miles (EPA estimate) and a respectable time of 5 to 6 seconds between 0 and 60 seconds. The maximum speed is 120 miles at the hour. So, it is not left out.

From the technical point of view, even the stripper model still has hardware, including the large central touch screen with maps and "standard" navigation, air conditioning, full tinted glass roof, exterior mirrors that darken, bend and are heated, custom driver profiles for multiple drivers and four USB outlets at the center for storing phones.

This is what you do not get, compared to the next higher option level, which pays $ 2,500 and is called "Standard Range Plus":

LED fog lights, docking stations for two smartphones, more "immersive" sound system and 12-way power and electric front seats with premium materials and fittings. The Plus variant also boosts performance, with 240 miles of range (+20), a top speed of 130 mph (+10) and 0-60 in 5.3 seconds instead of 5.6.

No version of the standard car does not include autonomous autopilot technology, which adds $ 3,000 or $ 8,000 to the price, depending on whether you want the basic configuration or the complete kit capable of working with it. 39; authenticity. The charger is also not included, and you do not get free boost with any of the standard versions. Domestic chargers cost about $ 500 plus installation, which is equivalent to installing a 220-volt appliance. A box at the end of the build procedure tells Tesla that you are interested in pricing a home billing setup.

Is the Plus an upgrade worthy of the most basic version of Model 3? That's a pretty good basket of benefits at $ 2,500, or about 7% more than the base price, especially when it includes an increase in the range of almost 10%. Plus, it's always better in this category.

That the basic black model 3 is worth it depends on the buyer. At the moment, 35,000 USD is still a big chunk of change for a car, but if that buyer wants to become completely electric, it is undoubtedly the best deal in terms of performance, safety and reliability. ;innovation. Whether the look of the car (especially the simplistic interior) is a draw or negative is to be debated. But considering how the company was buried under pre-orders at the time of its announcement, it seems that Tesla's gamble is bearing fruit.

And how much does a model 3 cost if you want each possible option in the leading car, known as Model Performance? $ 71,000, without asterisk.