Tesla Motors has confirmed the name of its third-gen electric car. It’ll be called the Model 3 and will retail for around $35,000 – much cheaper than the Model S.
Tesla confirmed a report from Auto Express on Twitter, noting that it will hit showrooms after their Model X SUV.
Confirmed: Our Gen III car, due out after Model X, will be named Model 3. http://t.co/PLhUzycSlp pic.twitter.com/noZf17LXre
— Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) July 16, 2014
So, why the Model 3? Elon Musk says that it has to do with sex and Ford.
“We had the model S for sedan and X for crossover SUV, then a friend asked what we were going to call the third car. So I said we had the model S and X, we might as well have the E,” Musk told Auto Express. “We were going to call it model E for a while and then Ford sued us saying it wanted to use the Model E – I thought this is crazy, Ford’s trying to kill sex! So we’ll have to think of another name. The new model is going to be called Model 3, we’ll have three bars to represent it and it’ll be S III X!”
I don’t know, Mr. Musk – Model 3 sounds like it could piss off Ford as well.
Musk says that the Model 3 could have a “realistic range” of over 200 miles, and the lower price point comes from the fact that it’s going to be about 20 percent smaller than the Model S and be produced with cheaper battery technology.
You can expect the Model 3 to be unveiled in 2016, and be available to purchase in 2017.
Image via Tesla Motors, Twitter
