Tesla has officially launched its refreshed Model 3 in North America, and though initial deliveries of the vehicle are already set to go out in the coming months, the automaker doesn’t yet appear to be producing very many of the vehicles.
Earlier this month, Tesla launched the upgraded Model 3 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, after the automaker debuted the vehicle in a number of other markets last year. It’s being produced at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, though drone footage shared on Wednesday by YouTube channel Met God in Wilderness shows just one Model 3 unit on the plant’s exterior.
The video begins with shots of just a few of the upgraded Model 3 vehicles being driven on the plant’s test track, while more are parked in a lot just beside the track. The area only seems to show a little over a dozen units, and Tesla still seems to be performing some testing on the vehicles.
While the factory’s outbound lot appears somewhat full of Model Y and Model X units, the new Model 3 isn’t anywhere to be seen. If Tesla has started producing the vehicles en masse, they haven’t hit the factory’s exterior yet, and they certainly aren’t being readied for delivery.
You can see the full video of Tesla’s Fremont factory below.
Still, delivery timelines for the new Model 3 are close, and reports saying the factory is already ready to produce the vehicles at the Fremont suggest that we’ll soon start seeing them in droves.
Tesla recently pushed its delivery timeline back a little for the new Model 3, with deliveries now set to start arriving between February and March. Prior to the redesigned vehicle’s official North American launch, some managed to spot the upgraded Model 3 at the Fremont factory and driving around on public roads.
Like the previous version, the new Model 3 qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit, but only when leased from Tesla, as doing so technically categorizes the sedan as a commercial vehicle.
Prior to launching the upgraded Model 3 in North America, Tesla’s website briefly showed the redesigned vehicle on its demo drive page in the region, before being taken down shortly thereafter. Other rumors also pointed to Tesla launching the new Model 3 in North America in Q1, including VINs that indicated recently seen prototypes had been produced at the Fremont factory.
Tesla fans bid farewell to the OG Model 3, a true electric driver’s car
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.
