Here Is the Tesla Model 3

Here Is the Tesla Model 3

At last!

The long-awaited machine has finally arrived. Sort of. 

Thursday night at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthrone, CA, Elon Musk revealed the Tesla Model 3 to the world. Promised back in summer of 2014 as a $35,000 EV that would be accessible to far more drivers than could afford previous Teslas, the 3 is here.

We knew the 3 would look like a more squat version of the big Model S, but what's particularly striking upon your first glance at the car is that Tesla has foregone the grille entirely. The S and X grilles are entirely cosmetic, since an EV doesn't actually need one. Still, it's a bit jarring to see the smoothed-over front end. They other styling details, from the big rims to the red color of the debut model, are typically Tesla.

As expected, Musk promised the Model 3 would arrive at the end of 2017, though production delays like those that have affected previous Tesla rollouts could push that back into 2018. Earlier today Tesla Motors began taking $1,000 reservations from customers to get on the waiting list to buy the EV. At event time, 115,000 people had signed up, and that number is still ticking up rapidly.

Musk pledged that the Model 3 would have an EPA rated range of at least 215 miles, meet five-star safety criteria in every category, and come standard with supercharging. Musk pledged to double the number of superchargers next year, too. It will make 0 to 60 in less than 6 six seconds. Not Model S "ludicrous speed," but not pokey, either. "At Tesla, we don't make slow cars," he said. 

After the big reveal, Tesla gave attendees a test ride in what it's calling a pre-production prototype of the 3. It was a bit bare-bones on the inside, save for the sprawling 15-inch screen that occupies the center console. That's slightly smaller than the 17-incher in the Models X and S, but it's in landscape rather than portrait orientation, which Tesla hopes will put more info closer to the driver's vision. A single huge piece of glass forms the roof. It's damn quick, too, although this prototype was a dual-motor setup. (The base model 3 most people will get will be rear-wheel drive.)

Now all Tesla has to do is build all these cars. Musk thanked the attendees who had purchased previous models, saying those customers laid the foundation by giving Tesla the revenue it needed to do mass production of the Model 3. The CEO described Tesla's evolution as part of a secret master plan, with the original Roadster proving that an EV could be cool and the Models S and X proving that an electric sedan and crossover could compete.

The Gigafactory meant to make all the lithium-ion batteries required is now up and running, and Musk pledged that it would make more more lithium-ion batteries than all the factories in the rest of the world combined. The monstrosity in Nevada will have the biggest footprint of any industrial building in the world.

As for the price? Musk stuck to his $35,000 number, but options could raise that total significantly. Still, he said, "Even if you get no options, this will be the best car you can buy."