When Tesla CEO Elon Musk takes the stage in Los Angeles tonight to introduce a new, more affordable version of his electric car — an unveiling that's being billed as the company's pivotal event, a consumer product launch the likes of which we haven't seen since the death of Steve Jobs — we won't even see the finished product.
Yes, as the Verge explains via Musk's mercurial Twitter account, this is but Part 1 of the Model 3 unveil, which promises to be at least a two-part affair. "Some important elements will be added and some will evolve," Musk tweeted.
This is some Kanye level shit.
Other mysteries abound, including, notably, the price of the vehicle, which the AP puts at around $35,000 compared with the Model S, which can go for anywhere from $75,000 to $133,000 depending on a variety of battery and other options. Tesla's Model X SUV starts at $80,000.
And yet, around the globe, capitalists are queuing up to pay a $1,000 deposit for a thing they have never seen and which won't begin production until 2017, when the company's Fremont factory supposedly begins cranking these babies out. And crank them out they plan to do. The Model S is designed to be manufactured in far greater numbers than the money-losing automaker's past vehicles, and the company may well depend on it.
Model 3 order day starting in Australia pic.twitter.com/T6aUnG5BCv
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2016
Arrived at the @TeslaMotors store at 4:20 am. I'm 25th in line. I'd have been 6th if I'd spent the night. #Model3 pic.twitter.com/ssQ00WUwu3
— Dan Edmunds (@Edmunds_Test) March 31, 2016
Whether or not the Model 3 actually arrives on time is anyone's guess, and most guess that it won't, pointing to delays on the Model X in particular. You can watch the event online at Tesla's website at 8:30 p.m. PT.
