Aussies are queuing up (and paying) to get their hands on the next generation of Tesla vehicles despite no one knowing when they’ll launch, what they’ll look like or how much they’ll ultimately cost.
Tesla, of course, is the electric car company that’s fast taken the world by storm. It’s successfully managed to throw of the electric car’s image that their dull, slow and take forever to recharge. The latest model Tesla goes from 0-100km in just over three seconds.
According to media reports over 120 Australians have already paid $1500 to be head of the queue when the new model 3 is released some time in 2017 (or even later in Australia as Tesla prioritises left-hand drive vehicles first for its US and European markets). Or, if you already own a Tesla, you’ll get first dibs on the new model.
The base price for a Tesla in Australia is presently around the $130,000 mark due to the vehicle have a luxury sales tax imposed on it. However, Tesla Australia’s senior marketing and communications manager, Health Walker, recently told B&T that the next model 3 will be far more mainstream, mass produced and likely to retail in Australia for around the $30,000 mark. “All new technology starts at a higher price and starts to come down,” Walker said. (Although media reports have said the car will be $US30,000 meaning it could be as high as $60,000 in Australia when import duties and sales tax are added on.)
The new model 3 will be smaller than current models and have a driving range of 480 kilometres before needing to be recharged. It’s been reported that Tesla will unveil the design in California in the coming week by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Media reports out of the US have said that Tesla fans are doing an “Apple” and sleeping out the front of dealerships to secure their place on the queue.
Gizmodo.com.au reported that lines to the Tesla dealerships at Sydney and Melbourne are men and women who “aren’t of the generation that you’d usually see queueing for new gadgets; they’re generally older — mid-20s up to middle age — and they’re well dressed. One future buyer in the line commented that the demographic is extremely different to the one across town buying the new iPhone SE also on sale today.”
