New Tesla Model 3 Performance refresh spotted with new seats

The highly anticipated new Tesla Model 3 Performance with the ‘Highland’ refresh has been spotted with new sports seats in the wild.

We have had the new Model 3 for more than half a year now. It more recently launched in North America, but it has been around Europe and Asia since last year.

But there’s one important piece of the puzzle missing: Model 3 Performance.

When Tesla launched the new Model 3 with an updated design, the automaker only brought back the RWD Standard Range and Dual Motor Long Range versions of Model 3.

You still can find some 2023 Model 3 Performance around, but Tesla has yet to launch the top version of its electric sedan with the new design.

That’s apparently because there’s more to the new Model 3 Performance. The previous version of the vehicle was physically almost identical to two other trims. Tesla would basically put bigger brakes, slap a spoiler on the Model 3 Dual Motor, and unlock some more performance.

We are seeing evidence that Tesla is going a different route for the new Model 3 Performance.

it was confirmed that the automaker was planning a new performance version of the Model 3 Highland with new badges showing up in the updated Tesla parts catalog.

Tesla also updated the renderings in its app with new sports seats that are expected to be meant for the new Model 3 Performance.

More recently, Model 3 Performance prototypes were spotted with camouflage. It did appear to show a further updated front lip compared to the new Model 3, which already features a new bumper.

Now, a new Tesla Model 3 Performance has been spotted in the wild (via u/Pristine_Floor7545 on Reddit):

The prototype is marked as an “engineering vehicle” and still features camouflage on the front bumper.

The new sports seats with added side support are clearly visible in this prototype:

Despite the camouflage, we can also still see that the front lip indeed looks updated:

It’s now fairly clear that the new Model 3 Performance will feature different hardware. It will be interesting to see what kind of performance it will get.

The previous Model 3 performance accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds.

We don’t know when Tesla plans to launch the new Model 3 Performance, but with more prototype sightings it could be soon. Although, Tesla still has some 2023 Model 3 Performance in inventory in the US.