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First close look at Tesla Model 3 Performance with white interior on delivery lot
As Tesla begins the rollout of the Model 3 Performance as designated test drive units to some of its showrooms, sightings of the dual motor, high-performance variant of the electric car have started emerging.
Over the past weekend, reports from members of the Tesla community indicated that the Model 3 Performance had been delivered to some of Tesla’s locations, most notably the Buena Park, CA center. Twitter user Larry Lach, for one, noted in his sighting that there were at least five units of the Model 3 Performance in the Buena Park facility. Other reports, particularly that of r/TeslaMotors subreddit member u/TheHalfChubPrince, shared additional details of the vehicle, such as its economy rating of 116 MPGe. Images shared online further showcased the vehicle’s Premium white interior and its aluminum performance pedals, as well as its 20″ Sport Wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 235/35/ZR20 tires and red performance brake calipers.
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- A Model 3 Performance spotted in the wild. [Credit: ocean90277/Twitter]
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- A Model 3 Performance ‘s 20-inch Sport Wheels and red brake calipers. [Credit: ocean90277/Twitter]
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- A Model 3 Performance spotted in the wild. [Credit: Larry Lach/Twitter]
Since Tesla managed to hit its goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 per week during the final week of the second quarter, the company has stopped its anti-selling initiatives for the vehicle and opened up its Model 3 online configurator to all North American customers. In addition, Elon Musk doubled down on Twitter, reiterating that roughly 100 Dual Motor Model 3 Performance vehicles have been manufactured and will be utilized as test drive units. Tesla uploaded a video of the vehicle’s capabilities while skidpad testing as well. Not long after this, sightings of the car in the Fremont factory’s lot were posted by RS Metrics on Twitter, showing what appears to be the Model 3 Performance fleet that Musk mentioned being prepared for shipping.
Both Elon Musk and Tesla’s official Twitter account further teased several features of the vehicle, such as it upgraded brake package comprised of an upgraded Brembo brake system that includes lightweight two-piece rotors and larger front rotors. The suspension of the electric car was also teased heavily by Musk, who stated that the compact electric car would feature a lower ride height thanks to a tuned suspension system.
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- The Model 3 Peformance’s center touchscreen. [Credit: Anthony Congiundi/Twitter]
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- The Model 3 Performance’s white interior. [Credit: @Swxnky/Twitter]
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- The Model 3 Performance’s white interior. [Credit: @Swxnky/Twitter]
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- The Model 3 Performance’s white interior. [Credit: @Swxnky/Twitter]
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- The Model 3 Performance’s performance pedals. [Credit: ocean90277/Twitter]
Over the past few months, the Model 3 has proved itself as a car that can handle the track, unlike its larger sibling, the Model S, which remains prone to heating issues after a few hot laps. With upgraded brakes and suspension, the all-electric sedan becomes a very capable track car. A race-modified Model 3 recently took first place in its category at the 2018 Canadian Sport Compact Series Time Attack series, beating out a Porsche Boxter in the process.
The Model 3 Performance is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, boasts a top speed of 155 mph and capable of 310 miles of driving per single charge. With a price of $64,000 before options, the Model 3 Performance provides interested electric car buyers with a high-performance vehicle that is quite reasonably priced. Including Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, the vehicle reaches a price of $80,000, which is significantly higher than Tesla’s originally promised $35,000 base model. Still, a top-of-the-line all-wheel drive Model 3 is considerably more affordable than comparable vehicles like the BMW M3, which costs $91,759 fully loaded, and the $106,000 Mercedes AMG C 63 S Coupe.
Watch a video walkaround of the Model 3 Performance in the Buena Park, CA spotted by Tesla owner Mark Benton below. As noted by Mark in his video, the Model 3 Performance with VIN55394 in Buena Park did not have its carbon fiber spoiler and its Dual Motor badge installed as of yet. These accents are set to be installed on the vehicle after delivery.
News
Tesla ends Full Self-Driving purchase option in the U.S.
In January, Musk announced that Tesla would remove the ability to purchase the suite outright for $8,000. This would give the vehicle Full Self-Driving for its entire lifespan, but Tesla intended to move away from it, for several reasons, one being that a tranche in the CEO’s pay package requires 10 million active subscriptions of FSD.
Tesla has officially ended the option to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, a move that was announced for the United States market in January by CEO Elon Musk.
The driver assistance suite is now exclusively available in the U.S. as a subscription, which is currently priced at $99 per month.
Tesla moved away from the outright purchase option in an effort to move more people to the subscription program, but there are concerns over its current price and the potential for it to rise.
In January, Musk announced that Tesla would remove the ability to purchase the suite outright for $8,000. This would give the vehicle Full Self-Driving for its entire lifespan, but Tesla intended to move away from it, for several reasons, one being that a tranche in the CEO’s pay package requires 10 million active subscriptions of FSD.
Although Tesla moved back the deadline in other countries, it has now taken effect in the U.S. on Sunday morning. Tesla updated its website to reflect this:
🚨 Tesla has officially moved the outright purchase option for FSD on its website pic.twitter.com/RZt1oIevB3
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 15, 2026
There are still some concerns regarding its price, as $99 per month is not where many consumers are hoping to see the subscription price stay.
Musk has said that as capabilities improve, the price will go up, but it seems unlikely that 10 million drivers will want to pay an extra $100 every month for the capability, even if it is extremely useful.
Instead, many owners and fans of the company are calling for Tesla to offer a different type of pricing platform. This includes a tiered-system that would let owners pick and choose the features they would want for varying prices, or even a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual pricing option, which would incentivize longer-term purchasing.
Although Musk and other Tesla are aware of FSD’s capabilities and state is is worth much more than its current price, there could be some merit in the idea of offering a price for Supervised FSD and another price for Unsupervised FSD when it becomes available.
Elon Musk
Musk bankers looking to trim xAI debt after SpaceX merger: report
xAI has built up $18 billion in debt over the past few years, with some of this being attributed to the purchase of social media platform Twitter (now X) and the creation of the AI development company. A new financing deal would help trim some of the financial burden that is currently present ahead of the plan to take SpaceX public sometime this year.
Elon Musk’s bankers are looking to trim the debt that xAI has taken on over the past few years, following the company’s merger with SpaceX, a new report from Bloomberg says.
xAI has built up $18 billion in debt over the past few years, with some of this being attributed to the purchase of social media platform Twitter (now X) and the creation of the AI development company. Bankers are trying to create some kind of financing plan that would trim “some of the heavy interest costs” that come with the debt.
The financing deal would help trim some of the financial burden that is currently present ahead of the plan to take SpaceX public sometime this year. Musk has essentially confirmed that SpaceX would be heading toward an IPO last month.
The report indicates that Morgan Stanley is expected to take the leading role in any financing plan, citing people familiar with the matter. Morgan Stanley, along with Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase & Co., are all expected to be in the lineup of banks leading SpaceX’s potential IPO.
Since Musk acquired X, he has also had what Bloomberg says is a “mixed track record with debt markets.” Since purchasing X a few years ago with a $12.5 billion financing package, X pays “tens of millions in interest payments every month.”
That debt is held by Bank of America, Barclays, Mitsubishi, UFJ Financial, BNP Paribas SA, Mizuho, and Société Générale SA.
X merged with xAI last March, which brought the valuation to $45 billion, including the debt.
SpaceX announced the merger with xAI earlier this month, a major move in Musk’s plan to alleviate Earth of necessary data centers and replace them with orbital options that will be lower cost:
“In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale. To harness even a millionth of our Sun’s energy would require over a million times more energy than our civilization currently uses! The only logical solution, therefore, is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space. I mean, space is called “space” for a reason.”
The merger has many advantages, but one of the most crucial is that it positions the now-merged companies to fund broader goals, fueled by revenue from the Starlink expansion, potential IPO, and AI-driven applications that could accelerate the development of lunar bases.
News
Tesla pushes Full Self-Driving outright purchasing option back in one market
Tesla announced last month that it would eliminate the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving software outright, instead opting for a subscription-only program, which will require users to pay monthly.
Tesla has pushed the opportunity to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright in one market: Australia.
The date remains February 14 in North America, but Tesla has pushed the date back to March 31, 2026, in Australia.
NEWS: Tesla is ending the option to buy FSD as a one-time outright purchase in Australia on March 31, 2026.
It still ends on Feb 14th in North America. https://t.co/qZBOztExVT pic.twitter.com/wmKRZPTf3r
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) February 13, 2026
Tesla announced last month that it would eliminate the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving software outright, instead opting for a subscription-only program, which will require users to pay monthly.
If you have already purchased the suite outright, you will not be required to subscribe once again, but once the outright purchase option is gone, drivers will be required to pay the monthly fee.
The reason for the adjustment is likely due to the short period of time the Full Self-Driving suite has been available in the country. In North America, it has been available for years.
Tesla hits major milestone with Full Self-Driving subscriptions
However, Tesla just launched it just last year in Australia.
Full Self-Driving is currently available in seven countries: the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.
The company has worked extensively for the past few years to launch the suite in Europe. It has not made it quite yet, but Tesla hopes to get it launched by the end of this year.
In North America, Tesla is only giving customers one more day to buy the suite outright before they will be committed to the subscription-based option for good.
The price is expected to go up as the capabilities improve, but there are no indications as to when Tesla will be doing that, nor what type of offering it plans to roll out for owners.
Tesla ends Full Self-Driving purchase option in the U.S.
Musk bankers looking to trim xAI debt after SpaceX merger: report
