Tesla Model 3 Buyers May Be Waiting Longer Than Expected

With news that the Tesla Model 3 is heading to production, buyers are eager to find out when they’ll get theirs.

Some are being met with bad news, even though they waited in line to be one of the first to pay a $1,000 deposit towards the Tesla Model 3. In a recent report by The Philadelphia Inquirer, at least one person is a bit upset that they won’t be getting their Model 3 this year. Jamie Holt reserved his Model 3 on the first day possible and upon hearing Tesla is getting ready to start producing the sedan, he called his local Tesla store to find out when the car might be delivered. Instead of hearing good news, Holt said he learned he could be waiting as long as a year. That’s because Tesla plans on delivering vehicles first to California buyers, then Midwestern buyers, and then East Coast buyers. “So, Tesla can put a satellite in orbit but is flummoxed by delivering a car to Pennsylvania?” Holt asked.

Unfortunately for Holt and may others, this is something Tesla has said ever since the car was introduced last year. The American automaker has stressed that current Model S and Model X owners will get priority on the waiting list, and then first deliveries will head to Tesla employees before deliveries begin in the state of California. But that isn’t stopping Holt from being disappointed, saying that Tesla’s “West Coast-centric strategy seems patently unfair” to those that stood in line and waited.

SEE ALSO: Early Tesla Model 3 Buyers Get to Pick Two Options

Another reason for those people to be upset is the potential that the lengthy delay will mean they will no longer be eligible for the federal tax credit. However, this was also reported shortly after the Model 3’s debut, as Tesla will likely reach 200,000 units sold by the time the Model 3 is introduced, meaning the federal tax credit offered will be reduced 50 percent to $3,750 at the beginning of the second calendar quarter after the 200,000 threshold is met. The tax credit is then further reduced to $1,875 at the beginning of the fourth quarter before it’s entirely eliminated at the beginning of the sixth quarter.

But not everyone stays up to date reading automotive news, and the West Coast-centric delivery process should have been made known to potential buyers by the individual Tesla stores early on. There’s still the question of whether Tesla is going to deliver on the promise that Model 3 production will begin shortly, and just how quickly it can ramp up in producing cars.

[Source: Philly.com]

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