Ever since Tesla CEO Elon Musk officially unveiled a prototype of the company’s Model 3 electric car at a splashy March 31 event, additional details have been dribbling out about the mass market vehicle—oftentimes in late night tweetstorms.
The latest came in the early morning hours Saturday, when Musk responded to one Twitter (TWTR) follower’s question about whether the Model 3 would be available in “ludicrous mode,” a performance option lets drivers accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds in the company’s other car models. His reply: “of course.”
@vigneshraju of course
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 30, 2016
Ludicrous mode—a reference to the comedy movie Spaceballs—was first introduced in July as part of a larger series of tech upgrades for the Model S, Tesla’s all-electric sedan. And while it’s quite a thrill—which I can personally attest to—it doesn’t come cheap. The 10% improvement in acceleration over the standard—0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds—costs $10,000 extra in the Model S and Model X vehicles.
The Model 3 is designed to be a mass market car—that’s code for more affordable. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of expensive upgrades available for customers who want their Model 3 to closely resemble the performance of the more expensive Model S and Model X vehicles.
The Model 3 will have a base price of $35,000. Earlier this month, Tesla’s (TSLA) Vice President of Business Development, Diarmuid O’Connell said reservations for the car are now approaching 400,000. Many of the later orders of the Model 3 likely won’t be fulfilled until 2019—and that’s if the final design process, production, and shipping logistics run smoothly.
Who knows, by then there might even be a “plaid” upgrade available.
