History of Tesla Model 3 in Timeline
The Tesla Model 3 is an all-electric mid-size sedan introduced in 2017 by Tesla, Inc., aimed at a more accessible price point than prior Tesla models. It features a fastback design and achieved remarkable sales success, holding the title of world's best-selling plug-in electric car from 2018 to 2020. It was eventually surpassed by the Tesla Model Y. In June 2021, the Model 3 reached a significant milestone as the first electric car to exceed 1 million global sales.
1955: Previous Record for Advance Deposits on a Car
The previous record for advance deposits on a car was the 1955 Citroën DS that had 80,000 deposits during the ten days of the Paris Auto Show.
2006: Musk Refers to "Model 2" and "Model 3"
In 2006, during an interview, Elon Musk referred to "Model 2" (later the Tesla Model S) and "Model 3".
2006: Musk Presents Model 3 Concept
In a 2006 interview, Elon Musk presented the Model 3 as an affordable car, aiming for a $30,000 price point.
2007: Model 3 Codenamed Tesla "BlueStar"
In 2007, the Model 3 was codenamed Tesla "BlueStar" in the original business plan.
2008: Model 3 as a Family Car
In 2008, the Model 3 was stated to be a family car.
2013: Model 3 Design Target
In 2013, design chief Franz von Holzhausen called the Model 3 "an Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class type of vehicle that will offer everything: range, affordability, and performance" targeted toward the mass market.
2013: Production Expectations Discussed
In a 2013 interview, Jerome Guillen discussed "BlueStar" (the codename for the Model 3 project), stating that Tesla was expecting to eventually produce 400,000 cars per year.
July 16, 2014: Model 3 Announcement on Twitter
On July 16, 2014, the Model 3, originally stylized as "Model ☰", was announced on Elon Musk's Twitter account.
2014: Model S has lowest drag coefficient among production cars
In 2014, the Tesla Model S had a drag coefficient of Cd=0.24, which was the lowest among the production cars of the time.
September 2015: Model 3 Unveiling Announcement
In September 2015, Tesla announced that the Model 3 would be unveiled in March 2016.
2015: Paint lines for 500,000 automobiles commenced
In 2015, paint lines for 500,000 automobiles commenced in the Tesla Factory.
2015: "Model III" Name Used
In a 2015 presentation by JB Straubel, the name "Model III" was used.
2015: Reservations Compared to Model S Sales
One week after the unveiling, Tesla said it had over 325,000 reservations, more than triple the number of Model S sedans sold by the end of 2015.
January 2016: First Official Pictures Reveal
In January 2016, Elon Musk stated that the first official pictures of the Model 3 would be revealed at the end of March 2016.
February 2016: Unveiling Date Confirmation
In February 2016, Tesla confirmed that the unveiling of the Model 3 would be on March 31, 2016.
March 2016: Model 3 Unveiling Announced
In March 2016, Tesla announced that the Model 3 would be unveiled.
March 31, 2016: Model 3 Reservations Open
On March 31, 2016, potential customers could reserve a Model 3 at Tesla stores or online with a refundable deposit of US$1000, with priority sales given to current Tesla owners and employees.
April 2016: Alpha Prototypes Shown
In April 2016, two Alpha prototypes of the Model 3 were showcased.
May 2016: Tesla Announces Accelerated Build Plan
In May 2016, Tesla announced its decision to advance its 500,000-total-unit build plan to 2018, two years earlier than planned, to accelerate Model 3 output, also issuing US$2 billion in new shares to finance the plan.
May 2016: Production Target Increase
In May 2016, Tesla informed its suppliers that it intended to double earlier-announced Model 3 production targets to 100,000 in 2017 and 400,000 in 2018.
May 15, 2016: Net Reservations
As of May 15, 2016, Tesla said the number of net Model 3 reservations totaled about 373,000.
July 2016: Design Finished
In late July 2016, Tesla completed the design of the Model 3.
August 2016: Stamping Equipment Operational
By August 2016, some stamping equipment for the Model 3 was operational in the Tesla Factory.
August 2016: Parts Ordered for Beta Prototypes
In August 2016, Tesla ordered parts equivalent to 300 Beta prototypes for Model 3 development.
October 2016: Production Timeline On Schedule
In October 2016, Tesla stated that the Model 3 production timeline was on schedule.
2016: Model Naming
As of 2016 Musk had wanted the three models to spell SEX, but settled for "S3X".
2016: Tesla Model 3 Unveiling and Reservations
In 2016, within a week of unveiling the Model 3, Tesla received 325,000 reservations, representing potential sales of over US$14 billion.
January 2017: Tesla Buys Grohmann Engineering
In January 2017, Tesla bought Grohmann Engineering, launching Tesla Advanced Automation Germany to develop manufacturing processes for Model 3 production.
January 2017: Giga Nevada to Manufacture Drive Units
In January 2017, it was announced that Tesla would also manufacture Model 3 drive units at Giga Nevada, and production of battery cells for energy-storage products began, which have the same form factor as the cells that will be used in Model 3.
February 2017: Manufacturing Equipment Installation
In February 2017, Tesla said that installation of Model 3 manufacturing equipment was underway in the Fremont factory and at Giga Nevada.
February 2017: Production On Track for Deliveries
In February 2017, Tesla said that vehicle development, supply chain, and manufacturing are on track to support volume deliveries of the Model 3 in the second half of 2017, and planned to ramp up production to exceed 5,000 vehicles per week in Q4 2017 and reach 10,000 vehicles per week in 2018.
February 2017: Model 3 Prototypes Built
In early February 2017, Tesla began building Model 3 prototypes to test the vehicle design and manufacturing processes.
July 2017: Limited Vehicle Production Begins
In July 2017, limited vehicle production of the Model 3 began, with volume production scheduled to start by September 2017.
July 2017: Reservations for the Model 3
Upon its release in July 2017, there had been over 500,000 reservations for the Model 3, with a net of 455,000 reservations outstanding, and an average of 1,800 reservations were being added per day.
August 2017: Model 3 Net Reservations
By August 2017, the Model 3 had reached 455,000 net reservations.
September 2017: Volume Production Scheduled
In September 2017, volume production of the Model 3 was scheduled to start.
2017: Tesla details Standard Range Model 3
In 2017, Tesla detailed the Standard Range Model 3, specifying an EPA-rated range of 215 miles, five-passenger capacity, front and rear trunks, sports-car level acceleration, five-star safety rating, and a drag coefficient of Cd=0.225.
2017: Delivery Beginning
In 2017, delivery would begin in late on the U.S.'s west coast and then move eastwards.
2017: Tesla Model 3 Introduction
In 2017, the Tesla Model 3, a battery electric powered mid-size sedan, was introduced, marketed as a more affordable option than previous Tesla models.
2017: Stylization Change
In early 2017, after trademark opposition regarding Adidas's three stripes logo, the triplicate horizontal-bar stylization was abandoned and changed to a numeric "3".
April 18, 2018: Tesla Updates Production Target
On April 18, 2018, Tesla updated its Model 3 production target to 6,000 vehicles per week by the end of June 2018.
June 2018: Production Target
By the end of June 2018, Tesla aimed to produce 6,000 vehicles per week.
July 1, 2018: Tesla Achieves Production Goal
On July 1, 2018, Elon Musk announced that Tesla had met its production goal of 5,000 Model 3 cars in a week.
2018: Production Bottlenecks
In 2018, Tesla experienced "production bottlenecks" and "production hell" as predicted.
2018: Production Target of 10,000 vehicles per week
In 2018, Tesla planned to reach 10,000 vehicles per week in Model 3 production.
2018: Model 3 Top Selling Plug-in Electric Car
In 2018, the Tesla Model 3 became the world's top-selling plug-in electric car.
February 2019: Model 3 Bestselling Plug-in Electric Car in U.S.
In February 2019, the Tesla Model 3 surpassed the Chevrolet Volt to become the all-time bestselling plug-in electric car in the U.S.
February 28, 2019: Standard Range Trim Availability
On February 28, 2019, Tesla announced the availability of the Standard Range Model 3 trim priced at $35,000.
April 12, 2019: Standard Range Model Ordering Change
On April 12, 2019, Tesla announced that the Standard Range Model 3 would no longer be available for ordering online, but only via phone or in stores, Autopilot was included in all versions of the Model 3 except for the Standard Range, while each version's price only increased by $2,000.
December 2019: Production at Gigafactory Shanghai
Since December 2019, Gigafactory Shanghai has been producing the Model 3 for both the local China market and for export to other areas except the United States.
2019: Crash Test Results
In mid-2019, crash test results for the Model 3 were scored at 96% for adult protection, 86% for child protection, 74% for vulnerable road users, and 94% for safety assist mode.
November 2020: Model 3 Styling Changes
In November 2020, the Model 3 received exterior and interior styling changes, with previously chrome finished parts given a black finish.
2020: Model 3 Remains Top Selling Electric Car
In 2020, the Tesla Model 3 remained the world's top-selling plug-in electric car for the third consecutive year.
2020: Model 3 Top Selling Plug-in Electric Car
In early 2020, Model 3 sales surpassed the Nissan Leaf to become the world's all-time top selling plug-in electric car.
April 2021: Adaptive Cruise Control Radar Sensor Removal
In April 2021, the adaptive cruise control radar sensor was eliminated from the Model 3.
May 2021: Front Passenger Seat Lumbar Support Removal
In May 2021, the front passenger seat lumbar support was removed from the Model 3.
June 2021: Model 3 Global Sales Pass 1 Million
In June 2021, the Model 3 became the first electric car to surpass global sales of 1 million units.
October 2022: Ultrasonic Sensors Eliminated
In October 2022, the ultrasonic sensors used for park assist were eliminated from the Model 3 and replaced with Tesla Vision.
September 1, 2023: Model 3 Design Refresh Announcement
On September 1, 2023, Tesla announced a design refresh of the Model 3, aiming for longer driving range, lower production costs, technical improvements, and a restyled exterior and interior.
2023: Model 3 Facelift Introduction
In late 2023, a facelifted Model 3 with revamped interior and exterior styling was introduced for countries supplied by Gigafactory Shanghai.
January 10, 2024: Refreshed Model 3 Available for Order in North America
On January 10, 2024, the refreshed Model 3 was made available for order in North America, with these models being produced at the Tesla Fremont Factory.
June 2024: Criticism of Turn Signal Buttons
In June 2024, the Edmunds website called the turn signal buttons on the Model 3's steering wheel "unsafe", criticizing the design and placement.
2024: Standard Range Trim Price
In 2024, the Standard Range trim price was equivalent to $43,045.
2024: Model 3 Facelift in North America
In early 2024, the facelifted Model 3 became available in North America and other countries supplied by the Tesla Fremont Factory.
2025: Traditional Turn Signals Return
In 2025, traditional turn signals returned in the Model Y refresh.
