Tesla Model 3 design tweaks underway, 276k orders

It appears the Tesla Model 3 isn’t what it claims to be. During an impromptu ‘ask me anything’ (AMA) session on Twitter, company CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the electric’s car design will still undergo some tweaking, and “part two” of the car will be on its way.

Unlike its siblings – the Model S and Model X, the Model 3 made its debut recently without a front grille. While it may appear to be a deterrent for sales, pre-order numbers of the car appears to tell a whole different story. According to Musk, around 276,000 orders have been notched up by the end of Saturday.

Revisions to the Model 3’s looks aren’t just limited to the car’s exterior either. Other Twitter users took the opportunity during the AMA session to share their thoughts on the car’s unconventional cabin, to which Musk responded, “wait until you see the real steering controls and system for the 3. It feels like a spaceship.”

Musk also divulged more details on the Model 3, specifically on the car’s electric powertrain. While no official numbers were provided, it was revealed that the Model 3 will be a rear-wheel drive vehicle, with a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup available, similar to the Model S.

So, if you weren’t a fan of the Model 3 when it was first revealed, there may be hope as Elon and co. continue working on their mass market electric car. Whether this will cause buyers to cancel their orders and demand a refund, we’ll have to wait and see.

GALLERY: Tesla Model 3

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • So many orders cause everyone all over the world can afford. But this car come to Malaysia, being CBU, eventhough US35k, it will be RM500k

    Something is wrong with Malaysia. People earn so little yet our cars are most expensive in the world

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 4
    • Tell that to SG pipu. They can lament that to buy vios, need to pay 300% COE tax, on top of ERP into city center. They alredi say MY pipu shud bersyukur.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 13
      • Michael on Apr 04, 2016 at 4:16 pm

        again John is lying. where got COE tax at 300% john?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 6
        • Oops. My mistake. Veri sori. Its actually 500% now.
          See http://paultan.org/2016/01/13/perodua-axia-goes-on-sale-in-singapore-rm231827/

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 7
  • Proton VS Tesla on Apr 04, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    Tesla is such a young company. So much younger than Proton. Yet, in a few days of a product launch, it can have 275k orders.

    Proton, being nearly 43 years old (started in 1983) still cannot even sell 100k cars in a year.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 4
    • Advice for u: percentage market share per population. Same percentage here, will generate more profits when apply to US

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 5
      • You’re dreaming if you think people will buy Proton in the USA.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 3
        • Im not talking bout product. Im talking bout market share to profits. Say if u can sell to:
          5% of 30 million pipu (MY) vs
          5% of 300 million pipu (USA)

          U have same market share percentage for each country but which wud gip more profits and more sales? Think about it.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 4
          • even if that percentage counts, do u still proton can be creative enough with gov-style leadership?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
          • What about Proton selling more expensive in foreign countries compare to local? Does that count?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
          • john math fail on Apr 05, 2016 at 1:37 pm

            I don’t know which school you came from but your math seems fail to me. The reason?

            5% of 30 million is 1.5 million
            5% of 300 million is 15 million

            So you think you can sell 15 million Protons in USA, which is 10x more than MY!? You must be dreaming

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
          • @ all RBAs. hehehe. If u think i fail at maths, I think u fail at english. :)

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • LatukBandar on Apr 04, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    I still think Elon is a snake oil salesman, maybe time will prove me wrong.

    All of his company doesn’t generate a single cent of profit. From the space company to the battery company, all of them rely on investor’s money. The funny thing is, all of his product launches received so much publicity.

    Time will tell if telsa 3 is a truly revolutionary product. people like to compare him with Apple and Steve Job, the difference it, when Apple launched and sell a product, they really launch and make a profit. When Elon launch a product, he gets so much publicity and 0 profit with a handful of product to showcase… 0 profit is 0 regardless of how good the product is, just like Lisa computer.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 8
    • well. u havent read more.
      btw that’s entrepreneurship.
      using ppls money to build cash is fine

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • stasta on Apr 05, 2016 at 2:46 pm

      are u his customer or his investor ? if u buy his car, wouldnt u be happy knowing that u got a cheap car ?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Muskfanboy on Apr 07, 2016 at 8:56 am

      Clearly, you haven’t read enough about Elon. Let me start with Tesla, the reason they have yet to generate profits is because the fact that most of the company’s free cash flow is being reinvested into R&D to bring the cost of manufacturing the cars down in the future. Electric cars are expensive and is due to high cost of making batteries. The longer the range, the more expensive it is.

      Now wait a minute, nobody ever said the Model 3 will be a revolutionary product. Not even Elon himself said so. Though so far all the models they’ve launched have raised the standard in terms of performance, technology, etc. Moreover, Elon has said the company won’t be expected to make profits until they start mass producing affordable cars. So the Model 3 will be the most significant product as it is the company’s first affordable mass-market electric car.

      Now onto the “battery company” you mentioned, it doesn’t exist. Tesla however is currently building the biggest factory by physical area in the world called Gigafactory for battery production for its cars and powerwalls.

      Move on to SpaceX. How do you know the company isn’t making profits? It’s a private company. Their biggest customer is Nasa whom has awarded SpaceX contracts worth 4 billion USD to send supplies to the ISS and in the near future, astronauts!(Fun fact: Malaysia was one of the early SpaceX’s customers. We sent a satellite to the orbit back in 2009.)

      Tesla and SpaceX been receiving so much publicity in recent years because these companies are changing the world. SpaceX’s sole purpose is to build cheap reusable rockets to bring humanity to Mars and Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the growth of sustainable transports. FYI, Tesla have made their patents available for free for any car manufacturer looking to build their own electric cars. (Fun fact: Our local company, GreenTech, bought 2 Tesla Model S for research and development.)
      All three of Elon’s companies share the common goal, to ensure the survival of human race!

      On Steve Jobs comparison, many believe Elon possessed similar traits to Steve in terms of leadership, design thinking, etc. Not in the context of whose company is profitable. Tesla has also been dubbed as the Apple in the auto industry due to their high cutting edge automotive technology and software development. Apart from that, Larry Page of Alphabet has said when he die one day, he would rather leave all his wealth to Elon rather than donating them to charity organizations. Honestly, you should read more about him or watch his talks on youtube before passing your judgment on him. I’d recommend you to buy his biography book.

      Here’s the link to all his talks:
      https://www.youtube.com/user/everyelonmuskvideo

      Link to his book:
      http://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future/dp/0062301233

      Others:
      https://www.teslamotors.com/blog/secret-tesla-motors-master-plan-just-between-you-and-me
      https://www.teslamotors.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you
      http://mashable.com/2014/03/20/larry-page-ted-2014/#ZQGzzgRlvZqi

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • 35kUSD on Apr 04, 2016 at 4:14 pm

    maybe most of the order comes from China.

    Fuel Saving SUV is the next heat.
    Honda HR-V is too makan minyak.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • Pondan on Apr 04, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    The booking number is only proton can dream off

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
    • Market size, bub. Market size

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 6
      • haha. john john. whats market size is that?.
        its a simple math and logic.

        what happen to proton in australia? market size should be bigger right? but only sold in countable units?? now wanna talk cock about market size.

        proton failure is the reason. not environmental issue at all;
        1. fail management/leadership
        2. fail designer/engineer (perhaps because of no 1)
        3. fail business model/plan – stupid not following segments. sedan, sedan and sedan now that too late enter other.
        4. fail vendor
        5. fail government to still get involve

        i’ve been following up proton politics inside outside. knowing this, proton shoud

        1. start fresh. new hire. tranfer to new dept
        2. strong leadership who posses not for money but for customer satisfaction
        3. creative engineer who have sense of taste and follow trending design.
        4. remove vendor cronies. do a bidding process or optimiize costings.
        5. if it takes to buy chasis/engine from other automaker, just DO IT. ego makes proton dreaming of building own chasis/engine while money doesnt allow that.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
      • Elon Musk on Apr 05, 2016 at 11:41 am

        Mentality, buddy. Not market size that determines the success

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
 

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