A faster Tesla Model 3 will “probably” arrive in 2018

A faster version of the Tesla Model 3 will “probably” arrive in the middle of next year, according to Elon Musk.

Better start saving, then. Responding on Twitter, the Tesla boss reasserted that, at present, the primary focus is on “getting out of Model 3 production hell”.

“More versions = deeper in hell,” he wrote.

We’ve long known, of course, that Tesla was preparing a fast version; a couple of months back, Musk noted that the new Model 3 would feature a Ludicrous mode too. Now we have a rough timeline of when to expect it.

Considering the Long Range pack for the Model 3 allows it to go 0–60mph in 5.1secs, the fast – and Ludicrous – versions have ample space to get seriously quick. And our experience with the 3’s big brother S is just that: it’s seriously quick.

His note about “more versions = deeper in hell” points to a concern he raised earlier about offering too much complexity at the start of a model’s life cycle – specifically, the Model X.

“That was very foolish,” Musk previously noted on the X. “Going back to the launch of the Model S, Model S only had one configuration at the start of production. It had one configuration because that’s all we could do, not because we were really clever.

“And then Model X… it’s really an amazing product, but it has way too many cool things in it that should have been rolled into version two and version three,” he added.

The point being, promising too many derivatives and features at the start of a model’s production run was “overconfident” and a mistake.

So, the Model 3 is rear-drive only to begin with, with the dual-motor, AWD versions appearing mid 2018. “Probably.”

Want to know what the 3 is like to drive? Click here for TG's first experience in the new Tesla EV