ECO-FRIENDLY CAR (TESLA MODEL 3)

Price start at RM149800

For the first time,TESLA has revealed the interior of the Model 3, which features a simple horizontal dashboard dominated by a massive 15-inch touchscreen. There’s no traditional instrument cluster – everything is shown on the centre display, including speed – and there are almost no hard buttons around the cabin. A large rear windscreen extends over the heads of the rear passengers, increasing the sense of airiness.

Unlike the Model S and Model X before it, the Model 3 doesn’t come with a key – unlocking and starting your car is all done through an app on your smartphone. Buyers can also specify a US$5,000 (RM21,300) Premium Upgrades Pack which throws in heated seats with 12-way powered adjustment at the front, a premium sound system and a glass roof.

The Model 3 comes with eight cameras, forward radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors that provide driver assists like collision avoidance and autonomous emergency braking. A US$5,000 Enhanced Autopilotthrows in semi-autonomous driving features such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping and changing and parking, while an extra US$3,000 (RM12,800) gives the car full self-driving capability, subject to regulations.

Overview

AlthoughTESLA hasn’t divulged full specs about the new Model 3 sedan, the automaker has made a few claims about its more affordable model. Pricing for the Model 3 is said to start at $35,000 before government incentives. In contrast, the base rear-drive Tesla Model S 60 starts around $70,000.

Tesla says the Model 3 sedan will have a 215-mile range and accelerate to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds.It has the size and stance of another car called the 3 (from Mazda), its single instrument is a billboard-like 15-inch touchscreen glowing in the dash, it accelerates with the nearly silent rush that cheetahs use to get their lunch. The five-seat sedan is also said to have been designed to earn a five-star safety rating. Other features include autopilot hardware and the ability to use the company’s supercharger network designed for the Model S.

From the side and back, the sedan Model 3 looks like a Model S with a very tall roof and a bobbed nose and tail. Up front, it has a blunt upturned snout that evokes the original Tesla Roadster as well as the new, sealed-up prow of the Model X. It is genetically linked to all of its ancestors—both in the styling and in the many pounds of lithium-ion batteries packed into the floor (also, all but the Roadster have front and rear trunks). It owes a heavy debt to the other cars in Tesla’s lineup.     

Safety

TESLAanticipates a five-star crash test rating, and we expect the automaker to offer lots of active safety tech in conjunction with the automaker’s autopilot hardware.