Tesla Model 3 2024 News

According to the Chinese Zodiac 2025 is the ‘Year of the Wood Snake’ but it could prove to be the ‘Year of the Electric Car’ when we look back on it. That’s because electric vehicles (EVs) have a lot to prove in 2025 after surging (pun intended) and now seemingly in need of a recharge (pun also intended).

Tesla owners will get a virtual bag of goodies to end the year.The American electric car maker has announced its latest round of software updates for its vehicles this holiday period.The updates will lob into Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Australia via an over-the-air update next week.Owners will now be able to access a Tesla app on their Apple Watch that can work as a smart key and allow them to view battery charge, turn on climate control and open the frunk (cargo area under the bonnet).Owners can now watch clips from the in-built dashcam and Sentry Mode clips in the Tesla app on their smartphone and save them to edit or share.New versions of the Model 3, which don’t have a steering column mounted gear selector, will now have access to an Auto Shift function.This works when navigating in and out of car spots and multi-point turns by automatically switching between reverse and drive. Drivers will be asked to confirm the drive mode selection.Drivers can now select the preferred charging level for when they arrive at their destination. This will affect the vehicle’s trip planner that provides stop and charging duration along the route.Other upgrades to the inbuilt maps include search results that are now filtered to show options along your route and estimated detour times. Think a quick Maccas stop along the way and how long this will add to your trip.It’ll also now show rain on the map and the intensity of that rainfall.Teslas will now have rear cross traffic alert safety tech, too. It will sound an alarm if it detects a car coming from the side or rear as you reverse. This is in addition to the reversing auto braking function that is already standard.There are a few extra apps and games included in the car’s multimedia system, among other minor updates

A new rear-wheel drive version of the Tesla Model 3 Long Range has gone on sale in the UK, with a new electric driving range that eclipses rivals.

It’s been a long time since someone who’s not that interested in cars gushed to me about how much they like Tesla (it doesn’t help that the man in charge of Tesla has done less and less for his own reputation as time rolls on), so if Tesla isn’t the brand at the cultural forefront of electric cars then, who should be?

Canada has followed the lead of the US and European Union in announcing it will impose a big tariff on Chinese-made EVs. According to the Canadian government, the 100 per cent tax will apply to all vehicles imported from China, including those built by Tesla, who currently ships its Chinese-made EVs to Canada.

Tesla is the darling child of the electric car movement. Its sleek and shiny Model 3 and Model Y are rushed into the arms of awaiting customers as quickly as they can be built. Or at least that was the case 12 months ago.

China is now the third-largest source for new cars in Australia, beaten only by Japan and Thailand for cars exported here.

Change is in the air.Carmakers are starting to realise sky high electric car prices won’t cut it in the long term.Demand is dwindling in the giant European and US markets as the cohort of early adopters are now spoken for and it is becoming more challenging to tempt buyers away from cheaper petrol and hybrid vehicles.In the past few months several car makers have slashed prices on their slow - and not so slow - selling electric cars in Australia.Peugeot cut the price of its e-2008 small electric SUV by more than $20,000 to $39,990 drive-away. Only a few days later the company had sold all its remaining stock and the car won’t be on sale until the updated version arrives early next year.Tesla has slashed the price of its Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan several times since the start of April to $55,900 (before on-road costs) and $54,900 respectively.An entry-level Model Y was $65,400, and the same Model 3 was $61,900 - meaning a $9,500 discount on the Model Y and a $7000 saving on the Model 3.That’s a big discount on the two best selling electric cars in Australia by a wide margin.Nissan has axed about $16,000 off the price of the slow-selling Leaf, which now starts at $39,990 drive-away with the longer range e+ model $49,990 drive-away.Ford announced on Friday cuts between $7000 and $8000 of its Mustang Mach-E electric SUV range.It now starts at $64,990 for the base Select grade, $79,990 for the Premium variant and $97,990 for the potent GT version.Ford already lopped up to $7000 off the Mach-E before it went on sale in December last year.Ford Australia boss Andrew Birkic said: “These price reductions offer even greater value to our customers and it makes these great vehicles an option for more people.”Subaru made a similar move with its Solterra, knocking up to $8000 off the price before a vehicle was even delivered to customers.GWM has discounted its Ora small electric hatchback and Renault has generous deals for its Megane E-Tech EV, too.These EV discounts are no longer an isolated incident and are a direct response to cooling customer demand and increasing competition.Luxury carmakers have been struggling to sell their EVs in big numbers too compared to their petrol-powered equivalents.These trends show that outside of early adopters consumers are finding it hard to justify spending the circa-$20,000 price premium for an EV compared to a petrol or even hybrid models.Sales of EVs were down five per cent in April, but are up 32 per cent for the year. That sounds good until you factor in EV sales were up 130 per cent in 2023.By comparison hybrid sales are up more than 130 per cent this year. Car makers such as Hyundai, Kia and Nissan are adding more petrol-electric versions of their cars to feed this demand.Most states wound back their EV incentives at the start of this year but the Federal Government's very generous FBT exemption on EVs should be spurring higher demand.Carmakers finding it hard to move their EVs now are in for a tough time as a wave of Chinese electric brands are set to wash over our roads in the next 12 months.These include GAC, Leapmotor, Smart, Xpeng, Zeekr and more.China has the tech and manufacturing advantage to undercut conventional cars brands. China is the leading producer of batteries and is the closest to bringing the game-changing solid-state batteries to market.These solid-state packs are considered the silver bullet for mass EV adoption. They are smaller, lighter, more energy dense, faster charging and safer than today’s lithium-ion units.They have the capacity to make their cars cheaper than others and they have insanely short life cycles, meaning they can upgrade and improve their vehicles in much shorter time than legacy carmakers.Help is on the way, though.Established carmakers are now preparing to roll out an array of cheap, small EVs targeted at the everyday driver.Volkswagen is the latest brand to confirm it’ll build a circa-$30,000 EV with its coming ID.1 hatchback.That price puts it in the same ballpark as an entry-level Mazda3 or a fully-loaded Mazda2.Jeep and Citroen are rolling out little EVs at a similar price and Kia will launch the EV3 small electric SUV in Australia next month.Kia and Hyundai both have mini EV SUVs in the works with the EV2 and Casper.These kind of cars will have a knock-on effect and will lead to cheaper used electric cars too, which will again spread the zero-emissions motoring to new sectors.The people have spoken: the only true barrier to EV adoption is the high prices but carmakers are listening and help is on the way.

The price of a new Tesla Model 3 or Tesla Model Y continues to plummet in Australia, with the seemingly endless series of sticker price reductions now leavings owners who have already bought one scratching their heads.

Tesla has finally confirmed pricing for its blisteringly quick Model 3 Performance electric sedan, and it is set to shock rival carmakers.