A Tesla Model 3 refresh is coming and for some, it has been due for a long time. Several pictures of the interior and exterior of the refreshed Model 3 have surfaced on social media within the last 24 hours.
Exterior Changes
The major change in the exterior of the Tesla Model 3 is the black window trim and black door handles (chrome delete out of the factory). The existing Model 3 cars since the design and prototype stages had the silver/chrome door handles and window trim.
The following spy pic of a Model 3 was taken at the Tesla Fremont car factory’s car lot yesterday. In this photo, we can see a bit of protective tape has come off the window trim uncovering the black/chrome delete window trim.
The narrower and longer license plate holders on the rear side of both the Tesla Model 3s in the above pic suggest that these cars are rolled off the assembly line to depart for Europe.
A few more spy photos from @WholeMarsBlog also suggest that Tesla has chrome deleted the exterior of the Model 3. In the following pic, we can witness the door handle too is also black instead of chrome.
The information coming from multiple sources also suggests that the new version of the Tesla Model 3 will also include the powered trunk liftgate.
Interior Changes
The interior changes coming to the newer Tesla Model 3 cars are equally interesting. The most notable is the one where the old piano black center console is at last upgraded to a stitched vegan leather trim.
This updated center console was also spotted by @WholeMarsBlog on his secret visit to the Fremont factory last night.
Although there is a cover on the upper part of the console and cup holder area, rumor has it that it has now been changed to matte black instead of the old glossy black. Here’s a visual comparison of the old and new center console trims:
The VIN sticker on one of these new Tesla Model 3 electric cars, shows the latest manufacturing date of yesterday. A commenter in this thread decoded the VIN number showing that it is a 2021 model year car (see tweet below). The sticker also says “New Process” — it’s still a secret that what it actually refers to — expert advice can be posted to the comments section below.
Update: The new Tesla Model 3 center console is unveiled in HD photo.
The following leaked photo of the new Tesla Model 3 interior also shows a potential slight change in size or bezel thickness in the center touchscreen. The center console can also be seen more clearly in this picture.
Since Tesla ordered more than 650k heat pumps from China this year, it is strongly believed that these new Model 3s produced at the Fremont factory are equipped with the heat pump enhancement.
It remains to be seen when Tesla updates the online configurator to reflect the latest upgrades and changes, probably will be launched for the European region first.
A summary of new Tesla Model 3 updates
- New black window trim and door handles
- New center console vegan leather trim
- Center console slide-open function rather than by the lid
- Double-paned glass windows
- Possibility of the heat pump
- Power trunk
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Love this! I like that they updated the Model 3. Sad it won’t come to the states any time soon but still excited.
Yep, cool!
Glad I purchased a 2020. Not impressed with changes. Actually, I would have been hesitant to purchase.