Tesla Dual Motor Model 3 Expected in July

It's fair to say that Tesla is struggling to produce the Model 3. At $35,000, it is the cheapest Tesla and therefore very popular. We were expecting 20,000 of them to be rolling off the production line every month by December last year, but it didn't happen. By January, 1,000 per week were being produced. The latest production goals are set at 2,500 by the ends of Q1 and 5,000 by the end of Q2.

As Electrek reports, with more achievable goals now in place, focus turns to the dual motor version of the Model 3 which was promised for "mid-2018." The good news is, it may still happen this year according to Elon Musk.

Engineering graduate Brandon Ledford asked Musk the question of when we can expect the dual motor Model 3 on Twitter. Musk replied, making it clear that production needs to hit 5,000 per week before dual motors would be considered. Adding that complexity would "inhibit production ramp," which is the last thing Tesla needs right now. Musk follows up with a second tweet predicting that 5K/week will be hit in July, therefore making dual motors viable.

When a dual motor option does appear, Tesla needs to be ready as it's sure to be very popular. By adding that second motor the Model 3 is expected to have an extended range, but also the ability to accelerate faster. Both are highly desirable in any car, so as long as the price increase isn't too high the dual motor version could quickly become the most popular option.