Tesla could reveal its tipped Volkswagen ID 3-rivalling electric hatchback tonight at the firm’s Investors Day, where CEO Elon Musk will announce the firm’s third-generation EV platform.
A side-profile drawing of what could become Tesla’s smallest, cheapest model was shown in a social media video announcing the opening of the firm’s engineering headquarters. The firm’s smallest hatchback is expected to go on sale at around £20,000 and appears to have three doors with much smaller, squatter proportions than the Tesla Model 3.
A facelift of the best-selling Model 3 and Tesla Model Y also appear to be shown in the sketches. Although not officially confirmed, it’s likely that they could be the first cars to use the American firm’s next-generation EV platform, codenamed Generation 3.
Musk has previously said the platform will ensure that Tesla can cut production costs (and therefore vehicle prices) while doubling its current output.
The highly successful Model 3 is Tesla’s current cheapest offering, priced from £42,000 in its most affordable form in the UK. As reported by InsideEVs, Musk said the firm’s new platform will mean producing EVs at half this cost, which suggests that a mass-market, affordable hatchback is a viable prospect.
Previously tipped to go on sale in 2023, a starting price in the US of around $25,000 has been suggested for the hatchback, which translates to less than £18,000 in the UK. However, Tesla’s models typically cost slightly more outside of the homeland, so an on-sale price of around £20,000 is more likely.
For this price, a range of 250 miles from a 50kWh battery (its smallest pack so far) has been tipped, allowing it to compete with established rivals such as the ID 3, Nissan Leaf and Kia e-Niro.
The new hatchback will allegedly be produced in China, as reported by Teslarati, with Tesla China posting a job offering to prospective factory workers on a poster showing the same nameless compact hatchback.