Musk: Tesla Model 3 Won’t Upstage Model S

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Tesla’s “affordable” car, the Model 3, is due later this year and will pack some important developments, including a new battery format and a streamlined instrument panel that looks ahead to an autonomous-vehicle future. Yet Tesla CEO Elon Musk could be a bit concerned about making sure this model isn’t misunderstood as the Silicon Valley automaker’s best offering—one that Model S shoppers might choose instead.

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In a series of tweets posted today, Musk underscored that the Model 3 is not intended to steal top billing from the flagship Tesla Model S as the brand’s most desirable passenger car. Only the Model S will have available seating for seven, auto-extending door handles, and a two-screen instrument panel, he pointed out. And the Model S also will have greater range and quicker acceleration.

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Musk admitted a misstep in the naming convention for this vehicle (originally meant to be called the Model E), since some might see the Model 3 as a “next version” of the Model S, Tesla’s second model. Instead, it’s a somewhat smaller offering that Musk likens to the BMW 3-series or the Audi A4, whereas the Model S continues to be closer to the BMW 5-series or 7-series.

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The CEO elaborated on some important decisions made to simplify things at launch: The Model 3 will be exclusively rear-wheel drive for some time, said Musk, “minimizing configuration complexity to keep the production ramp on schedule.” Dual-motor (all-wheel-drive) versions, Musk noted, also via Twitter, will arrive “as soon as we can make it, which is probably in six to nine months”; and a high-performance version will arrive after a year.

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Ludicrous Speed for the Next Tesla Roadster?

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Musk, who has confirmed in the past that the Model 3 will have a Ludicrous Speed performance mode, hinted that there’s no risk the Model 3 will outperform Tesla’s more expensive model. “Model S will always be the fastest Tesla until next gen Roadster, which is a few years away,” he tweeted.

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Tesla very recently changed the entry price for its Model S—again—dropping the 60 and 60D models and making the 75 the point of entry for the lineup. That should distance it a bit more from the Model 3.

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• Musk: Tesla Model 3 Supercharging Plan Will Prioritize Road-Trip Juice

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• 2017 Tesla Model S Updated: A New Face and Improved Range

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• Tesla Model 3: Pictures, News, and More

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So far, Tesla has been secretive about the Model 3’s driver interface. Musk had said, right after the premiere of the car more than a year ago, that the interior of the production vehicle would be completely different than those of the Model S and Model X. He pointed out the Model 3’s minimalist, single-display dash layout—to complement the self-driving-ready hardware now included with every new Tesla model. “The more autonomous a car is, the less dash info you need,” he tweeted. “How often do you look at the instrument panel when being driven in a taxi?”

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That interface isn’t the only thing to have been subbed in on short notice. Tesla appears to have skipped some stages of the normal vehicle-development process, such as the beta prototype stage. Musk teased a video of a “release candidate” version—a final prototype form—of the Model 3 just today as well.

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First drive of a release candidate version of Model 3 pic.twitter.com/zcs6j1YRa4

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017

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