• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Tesla Nabs 180,000 Model 3 Reservations, And The Car Isn’t Even Available Yet

By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 1, 2016, 9:50 AM ET

Tesla’s $35,000 electric car won’t be delivered for at least another year. But that didn’t stop crowds from lining up on Thursday and shelling out the cash to reserve their spot on the waiting list for one (or two) of the company’s new Model 3.

Around 180,000 people plunked down the $1,000 deposit for the car both in lines and online, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced in a tweet Friday. And drivers probably won’t even wrap their hands around the steering wheels until 2018.

Some would-be owners camped out overnight to secure their spot on the reservation list, standing in lines hundreds deep Thursday before they ever laid eyes on the vehicle. Tesla CEO Elon Musk reminded the enthusiasts that reservations were limited to two apiece:

Model 3 orders, whether in store or online, are limited to two per person

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2016

Then Thursday night, Musk unveiled the new Model 3 to about 800 people at an event just outside Los Angeles (complete with DJ and open bar).

Check out Fortune’s Live Blog From The Tesla Model 3 Event.

The new $35,000 car, the first Tesla aimed at a mass-market audience, looks a lot like the more expensive $80,000-plus models the company usually sells:

Tesla Model 3
Tesla

The sedan seats 5, and can travel 215 miles on a charge, Tesla says. It also has two trunks and Musk assures it will fit your 7-foot long surfboard.

But the company is still ramping up its massive Gigafactory in Nevada, the spot where the company mass-produces the batteries that power these cars. Tesla says it hopes the factory will eventually push out about 500,000 batteries a year, making cheaper electric cars possible.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

To date, Tesla has sold about 100,000 cars, the Wall Street Journal reports. So Tesla has its work cut out when it comes to building the 180,000 new Model 3s.

“Deliveries will be next year. I feel fairly confident it will be next year,” Musk said at the unveiling Thursday night in California. The crowd laughed.

Update 4/1 12:30 pm E.T.: This story has been updated with the latest numbers on Model 3 reservations.

About the Author
By Hilary Brueck
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Gen Z Patriots quarterback Drake Maye still drives a 2015 pickup truck even after it broke down on the highway—despite his $37 million contract
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 7, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Even with $850 billion to his name, Elon Musk admits ‘money can’t buy happiness.’ But billionaire Mark Cuban says it’s not so simple
By Preston ForeFebruary 6, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk warns the U.S. is '1,000% going to go bankrupt' unless AI and robotics save the economy from crushing debt
By Jason MaFebruary 7, 2026
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nestlé’s CEO drinks 8 coffees a day, but says Gen Z staffers are his secret to staying sharp by ‘learning constantly’
By Emma BurleighFebruary 5, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
AI can make anyone rich: Mark Cuban says it could turn 'just one dude in a basement' into a trillionaire
By Sydney LakeFebruary 7, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Larry Ellison and Jeff Bezos have seen more than $66 billion swiped from their net worths since the start of this year as AI-driven slump sees tech billionaires’ wealth free-fall
By Emma BurleighFebruary 6, 2026
2 days ago

Latest in Tech

nfl
CommentaryTV
The Super Bowl was made for TV and instant replay was made for visual AI. Here’s how it could be better and what it would look like
By Jason CorsoFebruary 8, 2026
57 minutes ago
monkey
CybersecurityAnimals
One way AI won’t ruin the world: tools to crack down on the $23 billion animal trafficking trade
By Eve Bohnett and The ConversationFebruary 8, 2026
2 hours ago
heacock
CommentaryLeadership
I’m a CEO who grew a ‘boring’ air filter business into a $260 million company, and AI is going to help blue-collar, everyday people just like me
By David HeacockFebruary 8, 2026
2 hours ago
AITech
Meta’s multi-million-dollar Super Bowl ads may not just be about its smart glasses—but about selling Wall Street on Zuckerberg’s AI future
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 8, 2026
4 hours ago
Mark Cuban
SuccessView from the C-Suite
In the AI era, Mark Cuban, Mary Barra, and even Sam Altman have one tip for Gen Z: unplug and go analog
By Preston ForeFebruary 8, 2026
5 hours ago
Successwork-life balance
NBA star Metta World Peace says Kobe Bryant taught him that no matter how hard you work, someone else is working harder
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 8, 2026
5 hours ago