Source: Aifaner
Authors: Li Hua, Deng Zefeng
Original title: “Tesla's new Model 3 is officially released! Major changes in exterior and interior design, starting at 259,900”

Six years ago, Tesla held a grand press conference for the launch of the Model 3. Tesla's CEO and chief design officer were all present.

Musk confessed at the press conference, “Model 3 is the company's top priority right now.”

As one of the 4 domestic media outlets that traveled to California to witness this moment with their own eyes, the Auto Media Director Association under Aifaner brought everyone the world's first actual test of the Model 3 at the time. As soon as possible, they used text and animated images to bring back the most realistic driving experience to the country.

Today, six years later, a new generation of Tesla appeared on Tesla's official website without warning. There was no press conference, no media, no test drive, everything was quiet.

Now, follow Dong Che Hui and take a look at the new look of this car, which is too familiar to everyone to be familiar with.

On Tesla's official website, we can see the price of the new Model 3:

• Model 3 refreshed version: starting at 259,900

• Model 3 Long Battery Life Renewal Version: Starting at 295,900

It is worth mentioning that there is currently no official purchase of performance models, but the long-life version model has officially returned. Among them,The CLTC of the updated Model 3 has a range of 567 km and an acceleration performance of 6.1 seconds for 100 kilometers; in addition, the long-range of the return has exceeded 682 kilometers, reaching 713 kilometers. In addition, the acceleration performance for 100 kilometers is 4.4 seconds.

New exterior, new interior

If the keyword for the old Model 3 is “round,” then the new car adds a bit of harshness to this roundness.

The change in the front face of the Model 3 is no secret. As early as April of this year, the new front face of the Model 3 was revealed. The new Model 3 has a front surround with simpler lines, matrix-likeLightwing headlightsIt has become harsher, and the interior has golden accents.

The fog light that was originally located below has disappeared; only one arc simply passes through, outlining the air intake below. The sharp design brings lower wind resistance.According to Tesla's official statement, the new model's body wind resistance is only 0.22.

The new color scheme is also the highlight of the changes in the new Model 3. Tesla has provided two new color options for the new Model 3. The optional Flame Red and Starry Sky Grey colors, which have an optional value of 12,000 yuan, have been selected.

Coming to the side, you'll notice that the only difference is in the wheels. The new Model 3 offers two wheel style options, one is the standard 18-inch photon wheel; the other is the 19-inch Nova wheel, which requires an additional RMB 6,000.

The rear is also a good angle to identify the new car. The thin curved red line adapts to the changes in the headlights, and a more prominent diffuser is also used at the bottom. What is interesting is that Tesla will change the trailing label design, and the original logo will also be replaced by the letter-style “TESLA”.

In addition to the exterior updates, the biggest changes have also been made in the interior.

When I entered the car, at a glance, it still had the familiar smell, but after taking a closer look, I discovered that everything was not the same.

The new instrument panel integrates three components that were originally separate into a single component, which is no doubt a smart cost-cutting measure. The new grey trim has replaced the original wooden trim, and Tesla has also added multi-colored mood lights to the new surround cockpit. This is an “epic update” to the furry room.

The shape of the door panel has also changed, and the trim panel on the instrument panel no longer extends to both sides. In terms of materials, Tesla replaced Alcantara on the door panel with a brand new fabric. At the same time, the new Model 3 removed the original physical door opening/closing button and replaced it with the pressure-sensitive touch button on the current Model S/X.

However, no matter what kind of design changes are made, they are actually “petty talk”. What has really changed dramatically is the interaction of Model 3.

Now, you don't have to use the wheel to control the Model 3's advance and backward; Tesla has placed it on the center control screen at your fingertips. Gently slide your finger to move forward and slide back down. What? What should I do if the black screen crashes? Don't be afraid, there are still touch buttons under the screen.

Tesla believes that shifting gears is not a frequent operation. If you think about it carefully, would you shift gears while the vehicle is driving? Obviously not; you'll only use it when starting out or making a U-turn on a narrow road. Predictably, in the near future, Tesla will allow the Model 3 to automatically shift gears by recognizing the surrounding environment.

What Tesla wants to remove is not the shift lever, but the shift itself.

Now looking to the other side, Tesla has also removed the steering wheel levers, and buttons such as steering lights and speakers have been integrated into the steering wheel, and exist in the form of pressure-sensitive buttons. Also, the style of the steering wheel has changed, and the new Model 3 uses the same steering wheel that the Cybertruck revealed before.

For this kind of design, Dong Che will have had several guests with different driving ages and completely different perceptions of driving to experience it. The result was that most of them got used to the pressure sensitive buttons within 25 minutes. Of course, whether this design is easy to use still needs time to be verified.

Not only is what you see in front of you, the seat under your butt has also changed. Model 3's new front seats are wrapped in a layer of perforated leather, and the fan at the bottom of the seat cools the seat by absorbing air. Um, people in Guangdong must really like this change. In the back row, Tesla added an 8-inch central control screen. The new screen supports the use of entertainment software and in-vehicle functions.

In order to improve the riding experience of the Model 3, Tesla has put effort into improving quietness. The new Model 3 uses a new sealing system, upgraded sound insulation materials, and double layers of acoustic glass on the front and rear windows to further reduce driving noise.

Judging from the overall interior design style and ride experience upgrades, the new Model 3 follows in the footsteps of its older brother Model S. To some extent, the new Model 3 is like a small Model S.

Since it is a replacement after a lapse of 6 years, it is natural that the unseen areas will also have to improve.

The new model uses a 66 kWh battery, and the CLTC battery life has been increased from 556 km to 567 km; the new long battery life version is speculated to have been replaced with an M3P lithium manganese-iron phosphate battery produced in the Ningde era, which can support 4.4 seconds of acceleration performance while also providing a range of over 680 km. Also worth mentioning is that this may be the first appearance of a lithium manganese-iron phosphate battery in the Ningde era.

From the name of this battery, we can see its chemical composition. It is composed of three metal elements (M3) and phosphorus (P). Those three metals are manganese, zinc, and aluminum, which means that M3P is still a ternary battery, but it is also a phosphate system.

Like the new Model S/X launched this year, Tesla removed all sensors from the Model 3 and implemented the Tesla Vision assisted driving solution only through a camera. Remember the extra radar on the front of the new Model 3? It was it that replaced the millimeter-wave radar in front.

In terms of intelligent driving, unlike the HW 3.5 hardware that has gone viral in the outside world, the new Model 3 has kept up with Model Y and is equipped with Tesla's latest intelligent driving hardware HW 4.0. The installation of new components also means an increase in costs, and the price increase of the new Model 3 may be related to this.

The most extreme cost reduction, slightly surprising price

Leaving technology trends aside, in fact, removing millimeter-wave radars, integrating instrument panel components, removing physical gear bars, and replacing new interior fabrics, these changes all point to two words: cost reduction.

As a famous “cost reduction master” in the industry, Tesla has never given up on any opportunity to cut costs.

Zach Kirkhorn, the former chief financial officer of Tesla, revealed to the outside world that since the Model 3 was officially released in 2017, Tesla has been refining processes to reduce manufacturing costs. As of the beginning of 2023, the Model 3's electric drive unit had been reduced by 20%, the central control screen had also been successfully reduced by 12%, its energy consumption had also been reduced by 33%, and the cumulative cost was reduced by more than 30%.

Surprisingly, however, the price of the new Model 3 did not arrive. Within the 200,000 yuan range we had anticipated, the starting price of 259,900 yuan was nearly 20,000 yuan higher than the starting price of the old Model 3.

The biggest significance of the new Model 3 is that Tesla has applied a new car interaction design to cover more models.

In the past, if you wanted a brand new interaction, you had to buy Model S/X. But things are different now, and Tesla has brought their new interaction to this 259,900 yuan Model 3. It doesn't matter if you don't have access to Model S/X; on Model 3, you can also experience limitless possibilities. With automatic steering lights, automatic shifting, and even autonomous driving, Tesla's vision goes one step further with this Model 3.

The electric vehicle industry is looking forward to a change.

The launch of the new Model 3 is just the beginning. As Tesla's cost reduction measures advance and production methods continue to be optimized and adjusted, the refreshed version is expected to appear on the market at a more affordable price.

Editor/Somer