Tesla has reshuffled the packages for its Model 3 saloon, establishing the Standard Range Plus as the new entry level model with an extended range.
The Standard Range Plus – which will herein be simply called the Model 3 – has gained around 16 kilometres in range, depending on wheel size. Customers who opt for the 19-inch options over the 18-inch will find the predicted 438 km of range actually drops to around 429 km.
The alternative Model 3 Long Range – the Eco-friendly sister to the Model 3 Performance – has also received a quiet range hike, with eight additional kilometres booting its predicted total to 576 km. Again, if you opt for the 18-inch wheels.
Unfortunately the days of $35,000 starting prices for the Model 3 are long gone, with MSRPs for the new entry level Standard Range Plus now likely to set customers back $56,380. Or $59,680 if you can’t live without the 19-inch Sport wheels and a metallic paint finish. That includes $1,280 destination and documentation fees, just FYI.
Granted, if you opt to limit your range to 146 km, that figure can drop to $46,389, but that’s still a hike over the bare-bones, $35,900 Standard Range Model 3 Tesla originally marketed in Canada in 2019 – and drops the Model 3 from qualifying for the federal EV rebate of $5,000.
It’s also unlikely to affect customer demand. The Model 3 and the Model Y accounted for 96 per cent of Tesla’s output this year alone with that trend likely to continue into 2022 courtesy of new facilities in Berlin-Brandenburg and Texas.
