Tesla To Wrap Up Model 3 Design By End Of June

Despite breaking cover more than a month ago, the Model 3‘s development is far from over.

There’s still a long way to go, but Teslarati reports it is nearing an important milestone.

“From an engineering standpoint, we are already almost complete with the design of Model 3”, Elon Musk said. “So I think we feel pretty good about engineering completion of the last items probably within six to eight weeks, thereabouts. And so we’re sort of completing the final release for tooling no later than the end of June.”

Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel added that “the design of the vehicle [Model 3] lends itself to high-volume production very efficiently”. This might be a hint that the same deadline could apply to the bodywork as well as the interior, both of which were not presented in their final form at the car’s launch.

Tesla Motors has already received 400,000 reservations for the $35,000 Model 3 and it’s expected that before the EV will begin volume production towards the end of next year, the number would reach 500,000. In the first week alone, 325,000 people around the globe had pre-ordered the Model 3.

The first units of Tesla’s compact sedan are said to arrive with their owners late 2017, providing a driving range of at least 215 miles (350 km) on a single charge and allowing a 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) sprint in 6 seconds.