Tesla's $35,000 car will be called the Model 3
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_29YPJU9mZ0tnTgXWbKb0A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc0OA--/https://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/4482x3492+0+0/resize/630x491!/format/jpg/quality/85/https://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/3e4217999e632ac890e4f7f3d73e19aa/200071910/165087f4f34548b986df8c45e7a85e8b.jpeg)
Tesla hasn't quite delivered its new Model X SUV yet, but at least we have a name for its first electric vehicle pointed at the mainstream. In an interview with AutoExpress, CEO Elon Musk (pictured above with an old Model S prototype) revealed it will be called the Model 3 (with three bars to represent it), after Ford put the kibosh on calling it the Model E. Musk has repeatedly targeted 2017 as the release window for a smaller $35,000 vehicle. He's said it will be the third generation after the original Roadster and Model S, and in the interview claims it will have a range of over 200 miles per charge, probably using batteries built in Tesla's planned Gigafactory. Musk also told the mag about a range boost upgrade coming for the original Roadster that will give it a modern battery capable of going up to 400 miles on a charge, "which will allow you to drive from LA to San Francisco non-stop."
[Thanks, Weapon] [Image credit: AP Photo/Paul Sakuma]
Confirmed: Our Gen III car, due out after Model X, will be named Model 3. http://t.co/PLhUzycSlp pic.twitter.com/noZf17LXre
- Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) July 16, 2014
FYI, the Model 3 images used by @AutoExpress were mock-ups based on their own speculation.
- Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) July 16, 2014