Tesla's Model 3 is a great car and has been the catalyst for lots of folks to make the switch from internal combustion to electric vehicles, but up until recently, it's been mostly only available in the US. That's changing quickly though, with Tesla opening its order books to customers in Mexico on Thursday night.
The Model 3 got its Mexican unveiling in the stylish shopping district of Polanco in Mexico City on March 8 at the Mexico City-Masaryk Tesla store. The Model 3 variants available to Mexican buyers are virtually identical to those we get in the US, though prices start a little higher than they do in America.
The newly introduced base Model 3 with 220 miles of range lists for $42,000 before any savings or incentives. That's a difference of less than 18 percent, but Tesla doesn't break down where the increased cost comes from.
Opening its highest-selling car to a whole new market that doesn't require cars to be shipped across an ocean is a smart move for the brand, particularly in the wake of a stock downturn following its announcement of the $35,000 Model 3 and on the verge of the debut of its next brand-new vehicle.
It's unclear what the demand for the Model 3 will be in Mexico, which has a much lower average income than the US, and Tesla has refused to comment on the matter. It did confirm that Mexican buyers can expect to receive their Model 3s in approximately six to eight weeks as indicated on the Tesla website, though given Tesla's history with delivery estimates, that could change.
