Tesla is likely to reveal the first production model of its hotly anticipated Model 3 this week, according to CEO Elon Musk, with the first batch of customers on track to get their vehicles by July 28.
Musk took to Twitter, as he so often does, to reveal that the Model 3 passed its regulatory approvals for production two weeks ahead of time.
The Tesla supremo is targeting July 28 for a handover party for the first 30 (lucky) Tesla 3 owners. Beyond that he said production should ramp up to 20,000 vehicles per month by December, with a more modest output of 100 and 1,500+ expected for August and September.
Musk showed off a release candidate taking its first drive in March, which signaled that production wasn’t too far away, and in April it promised a first look in… July.
Musk has called the Model 3 “a smaller, more affordable” Model S, rather than a radical overhaul, but the $35,000 price tag and quality of performance have generated huge interest, with more than 400,000 pre-orders clocked.
The car was unveiled last year when Tesla tentatively promised to begin delivers by the end of 2017. Spec-wise, the base model will be capable of 0-60 in under six seconds, with at least 215 miles per charge.