To change is to innovate. The leader in this field on the electric car market is currently rethinking its most famous model in depth. Tesla will thus give a brushstroke to the Model 3, according to four internal sources relayed by Reuters.
Lower the costs
The Model 3 is celebrating its fifth candle this year. For the occasion, Tesla engineers have revisited its structure in order to reduce production costs and face Asian competition. The ported update is named Highland internally. The new model will be centered around the essential elements for its functioning. Tesla’s signature display will remain in the new version, Tesla claims.
The battery and powertrain could also experience changes. The production line will also be affected with the use of “giga-presses” to simplify the creation of new models. According to the well-informed sources of the North American firm, the production of the new model is expected for the third quarter of 2023 in the Shanghai Gigafactory. The aim is also to compete with models from BYD and Hyundai in the same range.
Invisible updates since 2017
Since its launch in 2017, the Model 3 has seen several updates, said Ed Kim, president of AutoPacific Group, which follows trends in the automotive market. These changes are invisible because of software, but their impact is very real. Battery performance, additional information, audio streaming… New features are regularly rolled out remotely to all vehicles. However, these micro-changes escape the attention of the general public. It is then necessary to carry out “visually tangible changes”.
Thus, future developments on the Model 3 are intended to remind future Tesla customers that the brand continues to innovate, analyzes the specialist. A necessity when “genuine and excellent alternatives to Tesla are starting to flood the market”.
Tesla has not yet officially confirmed, but Elon Musk had mentioned a cost reduction on the sidelines of a conference at Baron Funds in early November. “Again and again we have found parts that are not needed. They were placed there just in case, or by mistake. We eliminated so many auto parts that had no use”explained the multi-billionaire quoted by Reuters.