When Tesla launched the Model 3 in 2017, it did so starting with the most expensive versions, such as the Performace. A way to achieve a higher profit margin, or lower losses at that time. But this has also had consequences such as being the first, it did so at a time when problems in scaling production threatened even the very existence of the brand.
This caused Tesla to take some shortcuts, leaving behind some ideas they had for their sportier version. A Performance variant that has disappeared from the new generation configurator, but that the American brand has confirmed that it will return in 2024, and it will do so with new features.
According to Tesla representatives, the new Model 3 Performance will arrive in the middle of next year and will be accompanied by a development that has had more time to make the most of the experience that Tesla has accumulated in these six years.
The idea is to launch a version that will be more powerful, and that will have the challenge of dropping from the previous version’s 3.3 seconds to 100 km/h.
One of the possibilities is that Tesla will jump into the pool with a “Plaid” version. A three-engine variant would be placed slightly below the Model S Plaid, with its 1,020 HP, and that would be a blow on the table against its main rivals.
But in addition to a straight line, Tesla engineers are working on making the new Model 3 Performance also a fast car in curves.
This will mean the installation of more powerful standard brakes and even the possibility of adding the option of adding the “track pack” that the Model S Plaid has. It is also necessary to work on the development of tires capable of getting the most out of the propulsion system.
A section that will be one of the pillars of the new version, and that will have to exceed the 650 HP that alternatives such as the explosive Hyundai IONIQ 5 N have.
But if there is one section where Tesla has barely worked in recent years, it is the exterior appearance. To distinguish the Model 3 Performance from the Standard, you have to sharpen your eyesight a lot. The spoiler and wheels are two elements that customers of the entry variant can easily add. So Tesla has to design a more aggressive and more differential exterior kit.
There also remains the thorny issue of money. The latest reference is the 78,000 euros that the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N costs in Europe.
A figure that Tesla should have no problem improving, especially if we take into account that the previous generation of the Model 3 Performance came out for 53,990 euros. So Tesla has room to launch a groundbreaking model and with a much more earthly price.
