Tesla Model 3 pre-order draws crowds to stores in Dedham and Natick

Customers waited outside the Tesla store in Dedham to pre-order their Model 3. Matt Karolian / Boston.com

By Sanjay Salomon @SanjaySalomon

March 31, 2016

1 minute to read

Electric carmaker Tesla Motors began taking reservations for its newest vehicle, the Model 3, on March 31. The event has attracted fans around the world to Tesla’s stores in scenes reminiscent of the release of a new iPhone, including at local stores in Natick and Dedham.

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Matt Karolian, the social media director at Boston.com and The Boston Globe, was one of those standing in line in Dedham early this morning to reserve his Model 3 for a $1,000 deposit.

He arrived at Tesla’s Dedham store at 7 a.m. to find about 20 people ahead of him waiting for the store to open at 10 a.m.

Karolian said he waited in line for about three hours to place his order. As he waited, the line grew to about 100 people. As he left the store, the line was once again 100 people long.

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But no one is driving away with a Model 3 today. In fact, no one will even see it until the vehicle is officially unveiled tonight.

Tesla has said production on the Model 3 will not begin until late 2017. When vehicles are available, deliveries will start on the West Coast and move towards the east.

Unlike Tesla’s previous vehicles – the Model S sedan and the Model X SUV, which start with a luxury car price tag of roughly $70,000 – the Model 3 is expected to come with a much lower price tag of around $35,000.

If it proves successful, the Model 3 could become popular with consumers who want to go electric and get an impressive range while not paying premium prices. The Model 3 is expected to offer a range of more than 200 miles.