Following the launch of the new 2021 Model 3 refresh, Tesla has halted sales of the $35,000 version of the Model 3. Tesla achieved its promised $35,000 price point for the Model 3 with its mass production, but the budget friendly version has proven hard to come by since its launch in 2019.
Shortly after reaching the price point that CEO Elon Musk promised Tesla would deliver, the company stopped listing the $35,000 Model 3 Standard Range version for purchase.
However, in order to continue promoting the production of the $35,000 Model 3, Tesla said they would sell a Model 3 Standard Range Plus at $38,000 and software-lock some features with a $3,000 discount: “Given the popularity of the Standard Plus relative to the Standard, we have made the decision to simplify our production operations to better optimize cost, minimize complexity and streamline operations. As a result, Model 3 Standard will now be a software-limited version of the Standard Plus, and we are taking it off the online ordering menu, which just means that to get it, customers will need to call us or visit any one of the several hundred Tesla stores.”
Now, according to sources familiar with the matter (via Electrek), Tesla informed its staff that they are not allowed to “downgrade” new 2021 Model 3 vehicles to “Standard Range” and thus eliminating its $35,000 price point. As far as the 2020 Model 3 Standard Range Plus vehicles still in inventory, Tesla will still allow software-limit features. The newly-upgraded 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus in the U.S. starts at $39,190 ($37,990 + $1,200 DST).