There’s been plenty of chatter about delays to the production schedule for Tesla’s Model 3, but the automaker’s also reportedly facing a backlog with the more expensive Model S and Model X. For current Tesla owners, that means if you placed an order today, you could get a Model 3 sooner, reports Electrek – so long as you’re willing to shell out the loot for the all-electric sedan’s more expensive trim.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2018/02/the-tesla-model-s-outsold-the-germans-in-their-home-country-for-the-first-time/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/gk6c9vitz5mm9sllkxs0.jpg” title=”The Tesla Model S Outsold The Germans In Their Home Country For The First Time” excerpt=”Last year the Tesla Model S outsold the Mercedes S-Class as well as the BMW 7 Series in their home market of Germany. I assure you, the Germans are pissed, and if you listen carefully right now, you can probably faintly hear the screaming of Dieter Zetsche a continent away.”]
Tesla recently increased delivery wait times for new orders of both the Model S sedan and Model X SUV to June 2018, according to Electrek, creating a roughly four month delay.
But for Tesla owners who’re interested in buying a Model 3, they could potentially get the car in as little as four weeks, even if they have yet to place an order.
Electrek heard from several Tesla owners who “hadn’t reserved the Model 3 over the last two years, but they decided to place a reservation this month and they already received an invite to configure.”
Tesla has always stated that current owners of Model S, Model X, or Roadster vehicles have priority in the Model 3 reservation backlog, but the extent of the priority is greater than most people thought.
As we previously reported, we learned that if you have owned more than one Tesla vehicle, you get priority on more than one Model 3 reservation.
The one condition here is that Tesla owners have to make a reservation for the more expensive Model 3 — which comes with a long-range battery that nets 499km on a single charge, rear-wheel drive and starts at $US49,000.
Tesla confirmed that Model S and X production’s experiencing longer delivery estimates, and said the reason was high demand. Any Model 3 reservation holder who receives an investigation to configure their car can expect to take delivery within a month, the automaker said.
It’s an interesting turnaround for the automaker. Just last fall, there were reports that Tesla buyers were being pushed to order a Model S over a Model 3.
But Tesla has its work cut out with the Model 3, if it wants to hit new targets of producing 2,500 Model 3s by the end of March, ramping up to 5,000 per week by the summer.