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    Model 3 is coming Sept 30th, Tesla reneges on unlimited Premium Connectivity [Updated]

    Tesla Model 3s are rolling out to customers in Australia and today I received ‘the call’. This phone call from Tesla was to arrange a delivery date for the Model 3.

    When I placed the order for the car back on the 1st of June, the delivery estimate was August, so the car was late and I hope the company does a far better job of communicating to customers the build, shipping and delivery progress in the future.

    Living in Wodonga, Victoria, I’m roughly halfway between Sydney (where the car is) and Melbourne (where the car was going to be transported to). One option Tesla offers customers who live a significant distance from the state’s capital city is home delivery. Home delivery is often reserved for those that buy supercars, so it’ll feel pretty special when the transporter turns up.

    Delivery day is set for September 30th, just 2 weeks from now at 2PM. Once it’s here, you can expect plenty of coverage on techAU about the ownership experience of one of the most technology-packed vehicles available.

    The Tesla Model 3 will be the second car I’ve purchased in my life and quite the stretch from a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer ES I’ve driven for the past 14 years.

    The variant I chose to purchase was the Model 3 Performance Stealth (also known as Performance-). When Tesla first launched the order page in Australia (no longer available), they offered a Performance variant that had the stunning 3.4s 0-100km acceleration times, along with a healthy 560km of range.

    Those of us who chose not to select the Performance upgrade pack, opted for a car with 18″ aero wheels instead of the 20″ wheels with red brake callipers, no carbon fibre lip at the rear or aluminium pedals. There’s also an upgrade to the top speed but on the road, we’re all limited to 110km/hr.

    The stealth name comes from the fact the car externally looks like the SR+ (except the Dual Motor badge at the rear), but try to beat it off the line and you’ll find it’s a lot better than the 5.6s launch.

    What’s included and what’s not?

    There is a bit of controversy regarding what’s included and what’s not as Tesla seems to have been playing a little too fast and loose with their website. Customers have seen the detail on Model 3 change a number of times since the original order page went live.

    Below is a timeline of the Model 3 website changes to help explain it.

    • March 31, 2016 – Australian pre-orders go live.
    • May 31st, 2019 – Tesla launches the order page in Australia. Delivery Estimate: August.
    • June 1st, 2019 – When I placed my order.
    • June 16th, 2019 – Configurator walkthrough, shows launch options – including unlimited premium connectivity and HomeLink included.
    • July 1st, 2019 – Tesla’s got a little cheaper thanks to stamp duty changes.
    • July 9th, 2019 – Tesla kills unlimited connectivity.
    • July 16th, 2019 – Tesla reconfigure offerings to align with global options. This added the Long Range option, as well as making Pearl White as the default colour option and White interior as an option on the Performance model.
    • August 6th, 2019 – Australian Media launch.
    • August 17th, 2019 – Delivery estimates move to October.

    During my ordering call today, I confirmed I will get HomeLink included in the purchase price (a $460 aftermarket option), however, it will be a post deliver scheduled appointment (and a trip to Melbourne).

    The other point I raised during the delivery call, was the Premium Connectivity.

    This includes satellite maps with live traffic visualisation, in-car internet streaming music and media (that’s Spotify, TuneIn Radio). It also includes more frequent over-the-air updates via Telstra’s 4G network. If you select to get FSD, then you’ll also get Smart Summon in a future software update that’ll require premium connectivity as well.

    The reason this point is so important is that if you purchase now, you only get 1 year included, then you pay US$100 per year.

    Fortunately, I actually recorded the ordering process when I bought the Model 3. At 4 minutes, 15 seconds, I detail the Premium Interior. This explicitly proves that the (1 year included) limitation was not present on the 16/6/2019 (lower-right corner of the screen), more than 2 weeks after I placed my order for the Model 3.

    I really think Tesla should include this for those who ordered between May 31st and July 19th.

    I was told this change was something Tesla had been working towards in all cars (Model S and Model X) for around a year. Not quite sure why that was relevant, but it was used as some kind of justification for not honouring what was present on the website when I, and many others ordered.

    Overall I’m delighted to finally have information regarding the delivery of my Model 3, I’m incredibly excited to get behind the wheel, especially after having driven it during the media launch.

    Update

    This morning Tesla Australia responded to my email enquiry which linked them to this post. Below is their repsonse which references the FAQ page which details the unlimited connectivity ended in 2018.

    The big problem is, that FAQ page is not linked (even today) anywhere in the order process, so clearly what’s displayed in the order page is what customers will set their expectations on.

    Jason Cartwright
    Jason Cartwrighthttps://techau.com.au/author/jason/
    Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis. Disclaimer: Tesla Shareholder from 20/01/2021

    3 COMMENTS

      • I pre-ordered one of these in 2016, but I got out in 2018 when I realised there was something less than ideal about the Tesla shtick. Other e-offerings are now emerging… Patience has served me well.

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