It took what Elon Musk could only describe as “excruciating” effort, but Tesla appears to be setting the stage for the Model 3’s entrance into the global market. With exhibits of the electric car making its way into multiple countries in Europe and key cities in China, there seems to be very little doubt that the Model 3 invasion is just around the corner.
Reports and anecdotes from the Tesla community indicate that Tesla’s Model 3 exhibits have attracted a notable amount of attention. Over the past 24 hours, reservation holders and electric car enthusiasts have shown up en masse to view and get some hands-on experience with the electric sedan. In some areas in the European region, the Model 3 even attracted lines of people, with interested individuals waiting outside Tesla stores for an opportunity to interact with the company’s latest vehicle.
M3 on display in Mall of Scandinavia. It's 1PM on a Thursday and there's about 40 people in the store and 10 more outside waiting in line.@vincent13031925 pic.twitter.com/3YRxSHFgdW
— Hjörtur Brynjarsson (@HjorturBrynjars) November 15, 2018
The warm reception of the European region towards the Model 3 bodes well for the company. If any, the Model 3 fever spreading across Tesla’s stores in Europe suggests that the demand for the electric sedan remains strong even in territories beyond North America.
It’s 16:30 hrs and people are still lining up to see the Model 3 in Oslo. There is just #NoDemand @ValueAnalyst1 pic.twitter.com/GOUb37dwkC
— Tesla Driver ?♂️?? (@m_xalher) November 14, 2018
Einige visuellen Eindrücke vom heutigen #Model3 Event im Tesla Store Zürich für jeden, der es selbst nicht erleben konnte. Herzlichen Dank, @marTW33T. https://t.co/43kWInkiCy pic.twitter.com/vELezp4t1t
— Tesla Community Schweiz (@TeslaSchweiz) November 14, 2018
On the other side of the world, Tesla’s Model 3 push is starting to become evident as well. Amidst Model 3 exhibits in key cities such as Shanghai and Shenzen, local Chinese media are also providing what could very well be the first details on the vehicle’s upcoming rollout in the region. According to local news outlet Gasgoo.com, for one, Tesla would be entering the Chinese market with the Model 3’s top two variants — the Model 3 Performance and the Long Range AWD Model 3. The vehicles will be priced higher than their counterparts due to import tariffs, though the impending construction of Gigafactory 3 is expected to reduce the price of electric cars that will be delivered in the country.
A Red Tesla Model 3 arrived Shenzhen, China ?? yesterday. $TSLA #Tesla #Model3 #China #TeslaChina pic.twitter.com/I0YQBTq2oX
— Vincent (@vincent13031925) November 15, 2018
In the past 24 hrs, Tesla Model 3 has appeared in many European countries for the first time, causing huge crowds. Beginning of this year, Model 3 also appeared in many of China's Tesla showrooms the very first time, which also caused huge crowds. $TSLA #Tesla #TeslaChina pic.twitter.com/FooR1gqXNV
— Vincent (@vincent13031925) November 15, 2018
Recent updates from Elon Musk have provided some details on Tesla’s upcoming push in China. In a recent tweet, Musk stated that some Model 3 deliveries in the country might be possible in March 2019, though April might be a safer bet. With Musk’s recent update, though, it appears that Tesla’s global push for the Model 3 would likely begin sometime in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2019.
Probably some deliveries in March, but April is more certain
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2018
After passing through “production hell” and “delivery logistics hell,” Tesla appears to have reached a place where it is confident of its capability to manufacture and deliver the Model 3. In order to accomplish this, the company is thinking outside the box once more. In a recent set of tweets, for example, Elon Musk has noted that Tesla just “acquired trucking capacity” to ensure that all Model 3 ordered by November 30 would be delivered by December 31. In a later tweet, Musk elaborated that Tesla had “bought some trucking companies and secured contracts with major haulers” to ensure that the delivery difficulties the company faced at the end of the third quarter do not happen again.
Tesla produced and delivered a record number of vehicles in the third quarter, even surprising Wall Street by posting $6.8 billion in revenue and beating earnings estimates with a GAAP profit of $312 million. Considering Tesla’s preparations for a massive end-of-year delivery push, as well as the arrival of the Mid Range Model 3, though, the electric car maker’s fourth quarter’s numbers would likely be even more impressive.
