1st Tesla Model 3 rolls off assembly line Friday

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- The long wait is just about over for people wanting to get behind the wheel of Tesla's new Model 3 sedan. The first cars will start rolling off the Fremont assembly line on Friday.

Tesla showrooms are expecting to get the Model 3 by the end of the summer. But some customers will be driving off with one by the end of the month.

It's being called the Tesla "car for the masses." The first Model 3 is about to roll off the assembly line.

"It's affordable and I would love to have one," said Eric Hoang, Los Gatos.

Last year, hundreds and hundreds of people all across the Bay Area stood in long lines to put a $1,000 down for a reservation. Musk says Tesla will soon deliver.

The handover party for the first 30 customer Model 3's is scheduled for July 28. Then production will go up, he says August should be 100 cars, September 1,500 and by December, 20,000 cars per month.

Why such a high demand? Tesla's Model S sedan starts around $70,000. The Model 3 is about half the price, starting at $35,000 and that's not including a $7,500 federal electric car tax credit.

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The five person sedan will be able to get 215 miles per charge and go from zero to 60 in under 6 seconds.

"I think that's great. I mean it's progress. It's a mass produced automobile. It's the Henry Ford vision with an electric twist to it," said Jim Laccabue, Los Gatos resident.

Reservations are being taken online. A Tesla employee told ABC7 News if you sign up now, delivery of your Model 3 will take about a year and a half to two years.

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