Regardless of your view on electric cars, you've got to hand it to Tesla — the Model 3 is, at the very very least, a masterpiece in marketing and packaging. At most, those who've sampled it label the EV a revolutionary product.
Driven has been all over the Model 3 like a rash. We spied one down in Cardrona testing last August at the snowy and cold Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds, we went over the Auckland Tesla store's left-hand drive example with a fine-tooth comb, and we drove one while in California.
Read more: First drive — we experience the new Tesla Model 3 in California
But all the while, details for the New Zealand market have remained scarce. Pricing and time of arrival are both unknowns, although it's long been stated (perhaps with a glimmer of hopefulness) that we'd be seeing them on our shores at some point in 2019. And these points are consistent for most other right-hand drive markets like ours, including our mates in Australia.
But, May could be the month when Tesla finally reveals some of these all-important details.
UK Model 3 order page goes live next week, followed shortly thereafter by Japan, Australia, New Zealand & Hong Kong
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2019
Late last week under a tweet about Top Gear UK's Tesla Model 3 Performance/BMW M3 comparison test, CEO Elon Musk added a sliver of info; the online order page for the UK goes live this week, with Australia, Hong Kong, and New Zealand next in line.
While this doesn't necessarily indicate when the Model 3 will land here, interested parties can expect the online ordering update to showcase at least some of the highly anticipated electric car's local pricing.
To be competitive, the Model 3 will need to land at well under the $80,000 mark. Nissan last week announced that the new Leaf would start at $59,990, while Hyundai's Ioniq sedan and 400km Kona EV are priced at $59,990 and $73,990 respectively. The cheapest Tesla on the market currently is the standard range Model S, priced from $134,800.