Tesla Model 3 orders open to Australian customers March 31

Reservations for the Model 3 will require a deposit of $1,500, and will open one day ahead of its official online unveiling. Tesla will tear the covers off its all-new mid-sized EV on a suspicious April1 date at 2:30pm. This means customers will be laying down a deposit before even seeing the cars final styling.

Production of the Model 3 will begin late next year, with international deliveries following. Unfortunately, deliveries of the car down-under are not expected to arrive until late 2018 or early 2019.

The smaller Tesla EV will sit on a new platform and is expected to be offered in two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive formats. The Model 3 will use similar lithium-ion battery technology to its siblings, although it will likely be outclassed in regards to performance. However, the car should sprint from 0-100km/h in a supercar-esque time of under five seconds before reaching a top speed of 250km/h.

Local pricing won’t be available until the official launch, although Tesla founder Elon Musk has long stood by his commitment to produce a cost-effective electric vehicle.

It is expected that the car will cost around half as much as the lauded Model S, landing the Model 3 in the area of $60-$70,000. This structure would make for good competition against similarly-priced German rivals like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Audi A4 and the BMW 3 Series.

Australian pre-orders will be taken in four locations on March 31:

Melbourne Service Centre and Store – Shop 4 650 Church St, Cremorne – 8:00am opening time

Chadstone Store – Chadstone Shopping Centre Melbourne near Myer – 9:00am opening time

Sydney Service Centre and Store – 10 Herbert St, St Leonards – 8:00am opening time

Carindale Display – Carindale Shopping Centre, Brisbane – 9:00am opening time

Need your Tesla fix? Check out the full Tesla range available in Australia here.