Tesla Insider Leaks Model three Production Details & Options At Launch

Trevor, the founder of the Tesla Model three Owners Club, posted an update today with some of the production details and options at launch for the soon-to-be-released Tesla Model Three. He specifically noted that things are going to get moving very quickly and that it’s time to “hold onto your hats” because Model three is going to begin rolling out prompt and furious over the next few weeks.

[Editor’s Note: Note that this goes after a history of bold rumors Trevor has picked up and introduced as very likely … rumors that played out and have given Trevor a fairly reliable track record. Someone may be violating their work contract or supplier NDA, but it seems to be a real human, not a nefarious prankster.]

A Ordinary Configurator

Trevor related that his insider collective a bit about the configurator, confirming that it would indeed only be suggesting a choice of color and wheel size. Elon Musk said as much in the latest annual shareholder meeting but it was not clear if those would be the only options. From this update, it shows up that is the case. The sparse options would be in place for about the very first three months until production is stabilized and starts to ramp up.

He confirmed that the configurator will showcase all options whether or not they are available along with the timing in which they are expected. That permits reservation holders to see how long they will have to wait for a must-have feature like a glass roof or all-wheel drive (AWD) before locking in the final order … or waiting another six months for it.

Survey results from our fresh EV report. Responses came from over Two,000 EV drivers across twenty six European countries, forty nine of fifty US states, and nine Canadian provinces. Responses were segmented according to region — North America vs Europe — and type of electrified car — plug-in hybrid vs Tesla vs non-Tesla fully electrified car.

Interior Options

The simplification goes even further with the source confirming that only one interior option would be available at launch — black. The source collective that the interior is “very good” and that people are going to be glad with it. That’s an interesting comment given how polarizing the interior has been to date. Many technology-friendly people appreciate the simplification of the user interface with no gauge cluster, which speaks to the fully autonomous future of the vehicle, but it has similarly encountered a fair share of backlash.

Let’s be fair. This sad bit of wood trim in the #Model3 looks like crap. #pathetic I’ll be taking black carbon fiber please. @TeslaMotors pic.twitter.com/NogdK25aLp

– Model three Owners Club (@Model3Owners) June 12, 2017

As no major switches to the layout of the dash are expected, this likely speaks more to fixing ergonomic and functionality issues from the Model S and Model X than about the polarizing look of the Model three interiors we have seen to date. Expect options like ergonomically accessible cupholders, more functional armrests, door pockets, a standard center console and the like. In typical Tesla style, I would not expect these to merely substitute their legacy ancestors but would look for Tesla to level up the vehicle with them in a fresh way.

The wood trim on the dash was confirmed to be real wood — not fake. Tho’, the species of the wood was not confirmed. (Talk about getting into detailed questions!) This wood trim will allegedly be complemented by the alcantara on the door panels — tho’, as on the Model S and X, it will likely be suggested only on higher-optioned vehicles and not available at launch.

Tesla Model three at the expose event. March 31st, 2016. Picture Credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica

Production Ramp

Tesla has collective previously that production and deliveries will both embark in July and the unnamed source has confirmed as much but with a fresh angle: production will commence ASAP, with thousands of Model 3s rolling off the lines almost instantly for deliveries at the end of July.

This point confirms a rumor Trevor had also heard back in February and reinforces the importance of keeping production ordinary at very first to ensure Tesla can ramp up as reliably and quickly as possible while maintaining high-quality builds. Not having to check an order sheet for every individual vehicle permits the production line workers, programmers, and quality assurance workers to concentrate on delivering their part of the process without being dispelled by non-value add details. They can also get used to potential issues/bugs with a puny number of options/variations before having to manage a more complicated range.

As production ramps up in the 4th quarter, options will likely be added into the mix, like the AWD option that Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed would arrive later this year or in the 1st quarter of 2018.

This is good news for all those who are looking for Tesla to succeed and for a successful Model three launch, but it may come as a downer for folks looking for higher-optioned vehicles this calendar year.

Tesla is still broadly expected to hold part three of the Model three unveiling in July, where it will forearm over the very first few deliveries to customers, expose the final production version of the Model Trio, and officially open the Model three configurator to the very first few thousand reservation holders. The very first few thousand reservation holders are expected to be Tesla and SpaceX employees, who were permitted to make reservations two weeks before the general public.

After employees, existing Tesla owners on the West Coast of the US are at the top of the queue. Other geographies, non-Tesla owners, and reservations placed later will be further down the line — how much further is practically unlikely to predict until volume production is rolling or we get more precise information from Elon and team. The exact method Tesla is using to balance these priorities has not been collective, but Tesla is expected to clarify this as part of the launch either as an overt statement or over time as reservation holders are invited to configure their vehicles. [Editor’s Note: Some of the underlying points are clear: employees are more committed to the company’s success and won’t negatively troll if their cars have bugs; early Tesla buyers and enthusiasts are in a similar boat (but not as directly tied to the company unless they’ve invested a lot of money into it as well … which many of us have); keeping deliveries near the factories and within one state (California) makes it lighter to recall them if an issue pops up early in production (naturally, it would be a royal PITA if Tesla had Model three scattered across the US, Norway, China, Australia, etc., and discovered it needed to recall the very first 100,000 Model 3s over a slight manufacturing issue). We just don’t have a good sense yet when exactly Tesla will determine it’s safe and logical to open up production for broader populations and more distant geographies.]

July is on track to be a historic month in automotive history, and for Tesla. The future is now!

Check out our fresh 93-page EV report, based on over Two,000 surveys collected from EV drivers in forty nine of fifty US states, twenty six European countries, and nine Canadian provinces.

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