A Tesla secret revealed? Suspected 2024 Tesla Model 3 update mule shows its face

Want to know what the refresh to the Tesla Model 3 will look like? A Reddit user might have just given us a peek.

What appears to be a redesigned Model 3 is apparently sitting in a shed or warehouse somewhere in the US, according to the image above posted to Reddit by user u/ffiarpg.

While it was only supplied with the caption ‘Model 3 Refresh’ and no further commentary, users of the r/teslamotors subreddit haven’t hesitated in speculating, even having attempted to pinpoint where the warehouse is based on the beams visible behind the car.

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But the car itself is notable in that its changes are in line with reports from Tesla insiders as to what will be changed on the updated car.

As reported last month by Not a Tesla App, an insider says the headlights and front bumper of the popular Model 3 will undergo a redesign, while the outlet reports that “the front bumper will now house a single camera in the centre area of the lower-vent area of the bumper”.

Such a change isn’t visible in the picture posted, not least because it seems like this car has done some driving and is caked in dirt and dead bugs, but also because of the high angle it’s seen from.

Also interesting about the picture posted is that through the windscreen appears to be a visible cowl on the dash, possibly for an instrument cluster if it isn’t a kind of cover for the steering wheel in the test car.

This would mean an instrument panel for the driver, replacing the current central screen-based layout currently used.

The hidden car image comes weeks after another suspected Tesla mule was spotted, that one in China and seemingly wearing the body of a Mazda CX-30. 

Most punters and local media suspected that car, which seemed to have Tesla wheels and lights, to be a hoax.

Expect to see the new Model 3 revealed this year, with production slated for late 2023 and a subsequent, similar update expected for the related Model Y.