Tesla is letting super fans jump the queue for a Model 3

With just over a week to go before Tesla unveils its much hyped – and needed – Model 3, the company has revealed its going to reward those who have already bought into electric-powered travel.

In a blog post, a spokesperson for the company said that existing owners of the Model S or X will get priority.

In order to be as fair as possible, there will be a different queue for each region. And as a thank you to our current owners, existing customers will get priority in each region, meaning that the fastest way to buy a Model 3 is to buy a Model S or Model X.

There is a way for non-owners to get in on the action: by heading down to your local Tesla store and putting down a $1,000 (or your regional equivalent) on March 31, when reservations begin.

Once you’ve done that, be prepared to wait and wait and wait. The current prediction for delivery is late 2017 for West Coast US before moving east.

But that doesn’t factor in Tesla’s notoriety for completely missing the delivery dates the company sets out ahead of launch.

When the Model X was vehicle was first discussed, it was expected that early shipments would commence in 2013. However, by March 2013 nothing had arrived and Tesla pushed back the shipping date to late in 2014.

Later on that year, it would push it back again to Q2 in 2015. But even for super fans like Tesla investor Steve Jurvetson and Google founder Sergey Brin – they didn’t get their cars until the end of September. Deliveries for the rest of us mere-mortals is only just beginning.

The Model 3 is meant to be Tesla’s assault on the mass-market, where the likes of GM, Ford, Toyota and European giants have honed their manufacturing and distribution networks to be able to build a car to spec and deliver it within a week.

If Tesla is going to really compete at the lower end of the market, it’s going to need a lot more than their most ardent fans and a string of broken promises to convince the world its vision for the future is viable.

➤ Current Tesla Owners Will Get the First Model 3 Reservations [Popular Mechanics]