The launch of the long-awaited Tesla Model 3 Highland is so close that even some stores located in China have begun to accept reservations of the new model. That, at least, is what the local newspaper says this Wednesday Chinese Securities Journal.
These, in particular, are offering buyers the possibility of choosing between taking one of the Tesla Model 3 available in stock –benefiting from the discounts that the brand currently offers in the Asian country– or, on the contrary, wait for other versions –including Highland–.
The aforementioned medium also ensures that the official presentation of the new vehicle will take place sometime this montha time window that matches the information that has been published in recent weeks in this regard.
When will the Tesla Model 3 Highland be presented?
In March, Reuters He highlighted September as the month in which production of the Tesla Model 3 Highland would start at the Shanghai Gigafactory. Months later, in July, the local newspaper jiemian He assured that the remodeling of the aforementioned factory –necessary to produce the new model– was almost complete, hinting at the imminence of its launch.
During the first weeks of August, some sources pointed out the 14th of said month as the day on which would cease current Model 3 production (in the Shanghai factory) and all the lines would go on to produce only the Highland version. The objective I would be manufacture 7,000 units in August and 10,000 in September. If true, the official launch of the vehicle should take place imminently, as the newspaper assures Chinese Securities Journal.
Besides, multiple Tesla Model 3 have been sighted during the last weeks with front and back covered. Images have also emerged on social networks in which you can supposedly see the dashboard, the door trim and even the front of the new version.
In Europe, Tesla Model 3 delivery deadlines now point to October or Novemberwhich contrasts with the rapid deliveries that the brand had been making throughout 2023. Considering that the Shanghai factory is in charge of supplying the demand for Model 3 in Europe, it is very likely that this additional delay is caused by the launch of Highlands.
What will change in the Tesla Model 3 Highland?
The Tesla Model 3 Highland would bring various improvements with it. The most noteworthy thing is a simplification of production and, consequently, a lower price of it. However, it is unknown if this will translate into a lower selling price or just improve the brand’s profit margins.
To achieve such objective, Tesla would resort to Gigacasting, a technique that the brand uses in the production of other models. This allows, thanks to a special machinery developed by Tesla, to melt and mold aluminum blocks larger than usual. Thus, the brand can create larger parts in a single step – instead of creating and assembling multiple smaller elements, as is the case in most vehicle production lines. In this way, Tesla simplifies the production chain and saves costs.
Also Tesla is expected to use CATL’s M3P batteries, which, among other improvements, boast a higher density than the current ones. The middle 36KR ensures that, in the case of the cheapest Model 3, the battery would have a capacity of 66 kWh, 12% more than the 59 kWh of the equivalent current model.
Beyond the structure, production or battery, the Model 3 Highland would also bring other interesting changes, according to various rumors published in recent weeks:
- I would mount new headlights both front and rear.
- It would incorporate the autonomous driving HW4.
- It would dispense with the gear levers and turn signals –as in the Model S–.
- I would mount a new ambient lighting system.
- I would release a new, more advanced sound system.
- Yoke or standard steering wheel with electronic steering.
None of these changes has been confirmed by the brand, so it is possible that many of them are not present in the Tesla Model 3 Highland get to the roads. We will have to wait for its official presentation to have a 100% clear image of what this new vehicle will finally be like.
