Tesla unveiled the Model 3 to the public in 2016.
Tesla presented the Model 3 on March 31, 2016, at an event in Hawthorne, California. The company positioned it as a more affordable electric car than the Model S and Model X, with a planned starting price of $35,000 before incentives.
The unveiling attracted exceptionally strong interest. Tesla reported hundreds of thousands of reservations soon after the presentation, although production and delivery took longer than originally planned.
Tesla began producing the Model 3 in 2017, initially at its Fremont, California, vehicle plant. The car became central to Tesla’s attempt to expand from premium electric vehicles into a larger global market.