Skip to main content

Tesla Model 3 will not be available with all-wheel-drive dual motors at launch, says Elon Musk

Bad news for early Tesla Model 3 reservation holders who were hoping to order the vehicle with dual motor all-wheel-drive. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the dual motor Model 3 will not be available “until next year”. 

It means that the vehicles planned for production in 2017 – starting in July – can only be configured with a single motor rear-wheel-drive powertrain.

It’s likely to be frustrating for the people who placed reservations on the first day hoping to order the higher-end version of the Model 3, but Musk confirmed that they are “minimizing configuration complexity to keep the production ramp on schedule”.

He confirmed the news on Twitter today:

He added that dual motor Model 3 production is expected to start in “6 to 9 months”, which mean that it should still follow closely behind the rear-wheel-drive production.

It’s likely to change the plans of a lot of reservation holders – mainly for US reservation holders since it sounds like the all-wheel-drive version will be ready by the time the vehicle receives homologation in other countries. Canada is likely to be first and AWD is always more popular up north due to the climate.

Consequently, the “performance version” of the Model 3 is not expected to become available until after the launch of the dual motor in 2018:

Musk also confirmed that the right-hand-drive version of the Model 3 is not expected before summer 2018.

It’s likely to be disappointing for a lot of people, but at least reservation holders have now a better idea of what to expect and they can plan accordingly.

Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Stay up to date with the latest content by subscribing to Electrek on Google News. You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

Fred is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at Electrek.

You can send tips on Twitter (DMs open) or via email: fred@9to5mac.com

Through Zalkon.com, you can check out Fred’s portfolio and get monthly green stock investment ideas.