Normally, putting down a deposit on a car you can’t expect to drive for at least a year and a half doesn’t quite jibe with our carpe diem society. But when it comes to the Tesla, things are usually done differently. Hundreds of thousands of people are on the waiting list for a Model 3, and Tesla is hoping to take advantage. The electric car company is marketing its new, lower-priced Model S 60 and 60D models to the Model 3 reservations list, according to Electrek.
Think about it. You’ve already decided you want to buy a Tesla. You plopped down your refundable thousand dollar deposit. Maybe you bought a t-shirt and a hat. But then it begins to sink in: the earliest Model 3s will ship at the end of 2017. And that’s if Tesla hits all its final design and production ramp up goals — which are often questioned by anyone who isn’t a Tesla employee.
There was a short time when you could check to see where you were on the Model 3 reservation list, but that window has closed. So in the meantime, you see yourself in a Tesla in your dreams. You may want others to see you in a Tesla. Yet it’s sinking in that you might not actually get the keys to your new Tesla until 2018. Possibly even later.
And then you get an email from Tesla about Model S versions with lower prices. Hmmm … you could have a Tesla right now.
Now that Tesla has hit its 2,000 weekly vehicle production goal, it appears the company is mining the Model 3 reservation list for Model S buyers. The re-introduced Model S 60 may appeal to buyers who have made the Tesla decision but don’t want to wait.
At a recent event for Tesla owners and guests, company representatives confirmed that “unveiling of the Model 3 increased Tesla’s visibility in several important markets and the company wanted to offer a new option to potentially reduce the wait since the vehicle is not expected to enter production until late 2017.”
One email sent to Model 3 reservation holders from a Florida Tesla store reads in part, “We are thrilled to have just launched the new Model S 60 and as a valued Model 3 reservation holder I wanted to personally reach out to invite you to University Town Center Showroom to experience Model S 60 and 60D.”
A customer story recently published on the Tesla company website recounts just such a transition, although in this case it happened while he was waiting in line to get on the Model 3 reservation list. It’s actually an intriguing tale that’s as much a couple’s love story as it is a car story.
However it happens, whether from gotta-have-it-now impatience, Tesla solicitation, or a spur of the moment change of heart, it appears that Tesla’s plans to reach more customers have been aided by the Model 3 introduction in unexpected ways. One wonders if Tesla anticipated this from the beginning.
