Tesla Model 3 2019 pricing and spec revealed

At long last Tesla has sent its Australian Model 3 configurator live today, revealing the pricing and spec for locally-delivered cars.

Tesla’s Australian Model 3 range will consist of just two variants, starting with the rear-wheel drive Standard Range Plus, priced at $66,000 (before on-roads - $70,370 drive away), or the all-wheel drive Performance, priced at $85,000 (before on-roads - $93,579 drive-away).

The Standard Range Plus has a 460km range on a full charge, with a quoted 0-100km/h time of 5.6 seconds. It is capable of a top-speed of 225km/h.

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What an entry-level Model 3 looks like on the Australian configurator.

Standard equipment on the base car includes 18-inch alloy wheels 12-way power adjustable and heated faux-leather front seats, a 15-inch multimedia touchscreen that doubles as the car’s dashboard with Bluetooth and built-in sat-nav, dual-zone climate control, LED front lighting, and a fixed panoramic sunroof.

Stepping up to the Performance adds a second motor on the front axle and includes a larger capacity battery. Range on a full charge is claimed at 560km, with a 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds and a max speed of 261km/h. Standard equipment over the base car includes a 14-speaker premium audio system, in-car internet service with music and media streaming, and a ‘location aware garage door opener’.

The exterior of the Performance is identical to the Standard Range Plus, unless you tick the ‘Performance Upgrade’ pack ($6200) which includes 20-inch alloy wheels, high performance brakes, a carbon fibre spoiler, lowered suspension, aluminium sports pedals and the “faster than a Ferrari 458” Track Mode (a software mode, equivalent to the Model S’ Ludicrous Mode which has a focus on speed and handling dynamics).

Either car can select the precariously-named ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ option box ($7100) which includes auto lane-change and auto-park, but will also include autonomous city-driving ability (including the ability to stop and start itself at intersections) and fully-autonomous navigation on freeways via over-the-air software update in the near future.

A white interior available in overseas markets is not able to be optioned to Australian Model 3s.

Both grades have essentially the same ‘Autopilot’-enabling sensor suite as the Tesla Model S, which includes active safety like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) lane keep assist (LKAS), and a live radar which essentially serves as a fill-in for blind spot monitoring (BSM).

There are five colours available, of which only ‘Solid Black’ is free. ‘Midnight Silver’ and ‘Deep Blue’ come at a cost of $1400, while ‘Pearl White’ and ‘Red Multi-Coat’ come at a cost of $2100 and $2800 respectively.

The max drive-away cost for a Model 3 Performance with all the options ticked $115,559. The Model S starts from $125,114 drive-away.

The estimated delivery window for either variant configured now is August.

The launch of the configurator will come as a relief to early Model 3 customers who had paid a $1500 deposit, some have waited up to three years to see evidence of local pricing, specification and a launch window. Placing an order now via the configurator requires an immediately payable $3000 deposit.

Up until now, most updates on the progress of right-hand drive vehicles has been delivered via Elon Musk’s twitter feed. The last ‘on the ground’ information was the reveal of three left-hand drive cars in Sydney on August 2018.

Check out the Tesla Model 3 configurator tool here.