Non-PUP Glass Roof

[Rockster]

I was at the Southlake, TX gallery yesterday, witnessing the overview demonstration by the Tesla rep and he said something that I hadn't heard before. Forgive me if this is already common knowledge:

The Tesla rep said that for non upgraded Model 3 interiors, the roof would still be all glass, just as it it with the current Model 3 configuration; however, non-PUP models would have the front half of the glass roof (i.e., that portion forward of the side-to-side roof support that's just behind the driver's head) covered by headliner that's affixed to the glass.

From a manufacturing, testing, and certification viewpoint, this makes sense because they're not "changing the roof." It just seems weird that it's the same, all glass, roof, with half of it covered with headliner. And, will this create a third-party market for those skilled in carefully and neatly removing the front headliner to expose the glass for those customers who want it?

 

[Zaphod]

I think they are misinformed and not correct at least based on everything I've known. The glass roof panel (over the driver's head) will be replaced with metal. It would seem absolutely silly to keep the glass and just cover it up with a headliner. Then again, Tesla does silly things all the time.

 

[iluvmacs]

Great, it'll just be a software-unlock to remove the headliner and expose the glass!

 

[BluestarE3]

Wouldn't it be more costly to add headliner to glass than just leave the glass as-is? From a materials and manufacturing standpoint, this seems backwards since the PUP version is supposed to be the more costly option. I think the employee is confused.

 

[flashflooder]

No way this is true.

 

[wraithnot]

Wouldn't it be more costly to add headliner to glass than just leave the glass as-is? From a materials and manufacturing standpoint, this seems backwards since the PUP version is supposed to be the more costly option. I think the employee is confused.

What if the most expensive part of the glass roof isn't the glass, but the IR reflective and tinted coating on the glass? If you cover the underside of the glass with headliner then there is no need to apply the potentially expensive coating to the glass. And no need to repeat the crash tests, re-engineer the seals, alter the assembly process other than how you install the headliner, or anything else you would have to do if you made a version of the car with a metal roof. I'll admit this is pure speculation on my part, but it at least seems plausible.