Tesla is developing a new version of the Model 3. Based on an updated version of the Model 3's online configurator, the electric sedan will soon be available with a dual motor configuration.
Currently, the base Model 3 comes with a standard battery and a 220-mile range. Customers can also opt for a long-range model, which is capable of 310 miles. It is equipped with a single motor and a rear-wheel-drive system.
The new model, on the other hand, will be equipped with dual motors and an all-wheel-drive system. This variant is expected to arrive this spring.
Apart from updating the Model 3 online configurator, Tesla's Aventura store in Miami, Florida also recently held an event where sales representatives had the chance to educate customers about the automaker's dual motor all-wheel-drive system. To note, the Model 3 is now the only vehicle in Tesla's lineup to come with a rear-wheel-drive configuration. The Model X and Model S now come standard with the dual motor all-wheel-drive system.
Meanwhile, the first Model 3 with dual motors may have been spotted for the first time over the weekend. The Tesla Owners Los Angeles Facebook page recently posted photos of a red Model 3 while it was being charged at Tesla's Design Center in Hawthorne, California.
Unlike the standard Model 3s, this particular model had red brake calipers and 20-inch wheels — components that are typically seen in performance versions of the Model X and Model S. The rear badging of this particular Model 3 was also observed to be different.
Moreover, the Model 3's driver was identified as Franz von Holzhausen — Tesla's chief designer. With the presence of additional components, Tesla fans have come to the assumption that von Holzhausen's electric sedan could be a dual motor model with an all-wheel-drive system.
This particular model is believed to be part of the latest batch of VINs that Tesla registered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The automaker's registration included 19 vehicles that had a dual motor configuration.
Given delays in the Model 3's production, it remains to be seen in the dual motor option will indeed become available to consumers this spring.
