According to a well-known Chinese “leaker,” Tesla is preparing a slight restyling for its flagship model, the Model 3. Considering that the vehicle was presented in 2016 and began to be manufactured in mid-2017 (although large production scale did not arrive until 2018), the truth is that the sedan is approaching the halfway point of its commercial life.
Among other improvements, the Model 3 will receive a new steering wheel (the current one has been criticized for its debatable aesthetics), a remodeled center console, new headlights and taillights, a boot with an electric opening, the elimination of the chrome appliqués from the body, the inclusion of a heat pump, double glazed windows, etc.
Some of these updates, such as the heat pump or the disappearance of the chrome from the body, are already present in the Model Y; others, on the other hand, will be unpublished. It is worth wondering if the new headlights will be a matrix, a technology that even generalist brands are betting on, and that for the moment has not made an appearance in any Tesla.
According to the “leaker,” these improvements will affect the Model 3 produced in Giga Shanghai and those from the US plant in Fremont. Therefore, we would be talking about a general restyling and not a specific update of the Model 3 made in China, a market where it is achieving unparalleled success.
Recently, Tesla underwent a slight update to its famous saloon, which received a wireless charger for smartphones and USB-C ports, as well as a new frunk (front trunk) of more contained size to accommodate the future heat pump, which will allow improving the performance of the vehicle’s heating system in cold climates.
Everything seems to indicate that this update will be accompanied by an improvement in the US versions’ autonomy, which will begin to mount Panasonic cells 5% more capable. However, the arrival of the long-awaited adaptive air suspension already present in the Model S and Model X may still have to wait.