Tesla Model 3 arrives in Australia

Australians reservation holders of the Tesla Model 3 saw the new mid-size electric sedan in the metal Down Under for the first time today.

However, they will have to wait at least 12 months before their battery-powered luxury cars are even produced in the US, let alone ready to drive home.

Tesla Australia has shipped three Model 3 vehicles from the Californian factory in left-hand drive – the only type in production so far – to display in its stores in Fortitude Valley (Brisbane), Martin Place (Sydney) and Chadstone (Melbourne).

Reservation holders who have paid a refundable $1500 deposit since the Model 3 order book opened in March 2016 were invited to get an exclusive preview of the smallest and most affordable Tesla model yet.

The Model 3s will be available for inspection by the general public from tomorrow and all three vehicles will remain on display in the Tesla showrooms for a couple of weeks.

While the Model 3 sells in North America for between $US35,000 and $US78,000 ($A47,598-$106,075), no Australian pricing has yet been announced.

The only indication of pricing here comes from a Twitter post by Tesla boss Elon Musk in July 2017, when he tweeted that Tesla will charge “$US price in $AUD plus import duties and sales tax”.

Nor has Tesla Australia revealed local delivery timing for the Model 3. The only information on Australian deliveries appears to be based on yet another Musk Tweet.

On March 22 this year, replying to a Model 3 place-holder in the UK, Musk tweeted: “Probably mid next year before we are able to make RHD. Wish it could be sooner.”

Tesla Australia senior marketing and communications manager Heath Walker today said: “Production will start for right-hand drive mid-2019 and [Australian] deliveries will be soon after that”.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s Australian website is even less precise. Under the heading ‘Production Timeline’, it says that in 2019, “International deliveries of left-hand drive vehicles begin” and that “Production of right-hand drive vehicles begins”.

Unusually for a car-maker, other than a tweet from its boss and a vague indication by its local subsidiary, Tesla remains coy about Australian Model 3 availability -- which is likely to occur after shipments to larger RHD markets such as the UK.

However, that hasn’t deterred hundreds of Australians from putting down cash for a Model 3.

Ron Jaensch from Seaforth in NSW -- one of about 25 Model 3 reservation holders at Tesla’s Martin Place store this morning -- said he expected a long wait for his car.

“Sure, it’d be nice to have it now but I anticipate it’ll be a couple years at least,” he told motoring.com.au.

While Jaensch doesn’t mind waiting for his Model 3 – which will join his Mitsubishi Triton and his wife’s Porsche Macan in the garage – he said that more information on the new Tesla could be forthcoming.

“There’s a lot of information they haven’t been able to supply, for example the additional battery use if you’ve got the heater on or air-conditioning on. They should know these things.”

Tesla Australia today confirmed that all variants of the Model 3 available in the US will be offered here.

“We have a global product delivery so whatever is produced we allow every market to get.”

That means we will see the entry-level, standard-battery, rear-wheel drive model with 350km range, the long-range RWD model with 500km range, the long-range dual-motor all-wheel drive model and, lastly, a BMW M3-beating long-range AWD performance Model 3 capable of 0-97km/h acceleration in 3.5sec.

The performance Model 3 information comes again not from a carefully vetted press release but from an Elon Musk tweet.

Not all features available for the Model 3 in its domestic market will feature on Aussie-spec cars.

“There’s some software that isn’t available,” said Walker. “For example we don’t offer Homelink in this market, although we are likely to at some stage.

“We don’t allow the [internet] browser in the [Model] S and X, just due to Australian laws, but everything else we offer.”

The free wall connector offered to local Tesla Model S and X buyers may also be standard for the Australian-market Model 3.

“China, New Zealand and Australia are the only markets that have a free wall connector with the car. We haven’t announced that’ll happen [with Model 3] although I imagine that it’s likely,” said Walker.

“The reason that Australian customers get the free wall charger has to do with the electricity set-up here.

“With 240-volt 10-amp outlets, you’re only getting 10-15km for every hour [of charging] so the benefit is with the wall charger. With single-phase, it’s up to 32km per hour and with three phase 80km per hour.”