There’s a number of electric vehicles on the market in Australia in late 2019, but Tesla’s mid-sized sedan, the Model 3, is getting all the attention. Finding the best balance of performance, range and price, the Model 3 is the electric car you want in your garage.
Some lucky Australian owners have taken delivery of their Model 3s, just before the end of August.
Back in March 2016, Tesla unveiled the Model 3 to the world. Enthusiastic Tesla fans placed reservations in volumes and during the Model 3 unveiling event, Elon Musk confirmed that more than 115,000 people had reserved the car in just 24 hours.
Two days later, Model 3 reservations had increased to 232,000. After a week that number had grown to more than 325,000, that’s before anyone had driven the car.
The incredible demand meant Tesla faced a production problem, one of the best problems a company can have, that too many people want your product. The result was a protracted wait for customers, with the first car rolling off the production line in July of 2017 where the first 30 production vehicles were delivered to customers.
After a significant ramping up of production, Tesla began to ship vehicles at a rate that was able to make a serious dent in the long pre-order list. The focus then began to turn to international markets.
After the US, the order page arrived for Europe, then finally it was Australia’s turn, along with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Ireland and Macau.
On May 30th, the Australian Design Studio configurator was released. Those who were sure they were buying a Model 3, immediately configured their vehicles, paid A$3,000 deposit and were shown an estimated delivery date of August. This is where the real wait for the Model 3 began.
The RHD car was then added to Tesla’s build queue in the US, built, then put on a ship for delivery. As the end of August approached, some reservation holders received calls from Tesla delivery managers to arrange a date where they’d actually get their car.
For a small number of lucky buyers, the long 3 year wait was over this week as Tesla finally began getting cars to customers. Below is a new video, shot at the Tesla store in Richmond, Melbourne. It shows 3x customer Model 3s that are rolled off the delivery truck (freshly washed).
Before delivery, cars have their firmware updated to the latest build so the customer has the best experience possible, along with a recharge of the battery.
Not all Model 3 owners got their car before the end of August. With today being the last business day of August, many are still in the dark about when their car will actually arrive. Some have received calls and see delivery (or pickup) dates in their account section of the website.
Naturally excited future Model 3 owners are sharing their experiences online. Today was a busy day at Tesla with a flood of reports that owners were receiving calls and confirming dates in mid to late September.
If you order it today, the website lists an estimated delivery of October, but given the experience to date, don’t be surprised if you’re not driving till November. If you’re keen to get yourself a great Christmas present, it’s best to get in quick.
While the wait has been long, as the car arrives in Australia, it is a more polished product than what it was 3 years ago. Thanks to continued investments in the software, distributed via OTA updates, Tesla continues to improve the Model 3, well after purchase.
Below is an example of something new spotted by a user in the early release ring.
