Elon Musk delivers Tesla Model 3s at grand gala in Fremont
FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- The more affordable Tesla Model 3 has rolled off the assembly line Friday evening. CEO Elon Musk handed the keys over to the first few owners at the company's Fremont factory.
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"Let's hand out some cars," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
With that, he sent 30 Model 3 owners out into the world.
The Model 3 can make it about 220 miles in one charge, and it has the lowest price tag of all the Teslas -- starting at $35,000. The owners of the S and X models welcome it to the family.
"Model 3, it serves its purpose for getting people involved with electric vehicles who might not otherwise be able to," said Tesla owner Dee Duncan.
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"Embracing that kind of technology in more of a mass production can only be good for us as a country in terms of less dependency on oil," said Tesla owner Tony Rangel.
Tech analyst Larry Magid said Tesla options, like autopilot, are impressive at the low price point, but it might not be enough. "It's one thing to have a great car, it's another thing to actually manufacture them, deliver them, and make a profit."
Musk says he expects to turn out 20,000 cars by the end of the year and 500,000 cars by the end of next year.
Manish Gupta ordered one. He has high expectations and hopes Tesla can deliver. "When I bought my Model X, I was not really satisfied because I had so many problems with the car initially."
About half a million people have put down a thousand dollar deposit on the Model 3.
