The Tesla Model 3, one of the world’s best-selling electric cars, has been substantially updated for 2024 – bringing more range, improved refinement and a new look.
Tesla claims that more than 50% of the Model 3’s components have been refreshed in response to customer feedback, with the ultimate aim of improving refinement and comfort.
Known by its internal codename, ‘Project Highland’, the updated Model 3 has been the subject of much speculation since the first clues were announced in late 2022. Since then, a series of leaked images and camouflaged prototypes have given hints about the final design, but Tesla characteristically refrained from giving away any official details until now.
As suggested by widely circulated pictures of an undisguised car earlier this year, the most obvious change for the 2024 Model 3 is its heavily overhauled front end, which is said to reduce drag in pursuit of more miles per charge, while reducing wind noise at a cruise.
Tesla emphasises that it is “staying true to the sleek, uncluttered design aesthetic” of the Model 3, and indeed the new-shape headlights and revised lower bumper are the most significant visual changes, with the rest of the car largely unaltered – save for the integration of new C-shaped rear light clusters into the bootlid.
Explaining the subtle overhaul, Tesla said it did not want to depart “from what made Model 3 a global best-seller: delivering great range and efficiency with sports car performance and handling at an approachable price point”.
The changes are also said to amount to a tangible improvement in rolling refinement and efficiency. With the front foglights removed for a sleeker front end, and a new air curtain installed at the trailing edge of the reshaped bonnet, the new Model 3 has a drag coefficient of 0.219, down from an already impressive Cd of 0.23.
The result, Tesla claims, is a boost in range of between 5% and 8%, depending on specification. The rear-wheel-drive standard car now has an official range of up to 344 miles (up from 305 currently), while the Long Range car boosts that to an official 421 miles, (up from 394).