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The anticipation grows: Tesla’s $35,000 Model 3 will not arrive until 2018

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Tesla Model 3 rendering
Theophilus Chin
Tesla’s upcoming Model 3 is going to make waves, and by waves, we mean lots and lots of dollars.

A $35,000, 200-mile electric sedan with style and comfort to boot is hard to argue against, especially considering the most reasonable Model S 70D runs $75,000 before incentives and gas savings are considered. With specs like those, the Model 3 is poised to become the gateway to the premium electric vehicle market, and Tesla will surely sell a boatload of them. It just looks like we’ll be waiting a bit longer for it.

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Despite previous predictions of a 2017 delivery date, a new report by Inside EVs shows that the Model 3 will not arrive until 2018. The site posted an official Tesla document highlighting the cost gap between EVs and internal combustion cars, one that also revealed the Model 3’s expected touchdown.

Tesla document
Inside EVs
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Tesla’s communication chief, Ricardo Reyes, went to Twitter to clarify that nothing had changed, and that the automaker plans to show the Model 3 next year and begin production in 2017 as always. However, the 2018 on-sale date might be a bit later than some had expected.

When it does arrive, though, the car looks to have a leg up on the Chevrolet Bolt, which will boast a similar range but cost roughly $38,000 before tax credits and incentives are factored in. We’ve included a speculative rendering of the Model 3 — which will be about 20 percent smaller than the Model S — above, courtesy of Theophilus Chin.

Before we even lay eyes on the Model 3’s final design, the Model X crossover is slated to begin deliveries later this year.

The Model X’s arrival has been pushed back twice, as its debut was originally slated for the end of the 2013, then 2014, then 2015. That date still holds for those with previous reservations, and if you put down a $5,000 deposit today, Tesla estimates you’ll get your falcon-winged ride in early 2016.

Will the Model 3 (and the Model X, for that matter) be worth the wait? Let us know what you think below.

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