Which model year are the current line of Model3 cars?

[coupedncal]

I am curious how does the model year work for the cars getting released this month into the end of the calendar year? Are these 2017 model year cars? A run of the mill manufacturer announces release of new model year cars and people know exactly what model year car they are buying. But what about Teslas? This is not just a M3 question but applies to Teslas in general. If i custom order a model S today, and say the car gets delivered to me Dec 01, was that a 2017 model year car or a 2018 model year car? Wouldn't i want the car to be a 2018 model to delay the normal depreciation?

Curious minds want to know ..

 

[Runt8]

Tesla doesn’t do traditional model years. They use a continuous improvement process where new features are added when they’re ready, instead of waiting for the next years model. Makes it difficult to compare features but customers end up getting improvements more quickly.

 

[Tiger]

Resale-value related discussion 2017 VIN Model X Order and Delivery

 

[boiler81]

Tesla doesn’t do traditional model years. They use a continuous improvement process where new features are added when they’re ready, instead of waiting for the next years model. Makes it difficult to compare features but customers end up getting improvements more quickly.

I've heard all this before, but isn't this really a marketing tactic? I understand that vehicles in general, are bought, sold, insured, taxed, depreciated, etc., based on model year. There is a label on all US cars, typically in the driver's door jamb, called the FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard) label. By law, it states the month and year of manufacture.
Additionally since 1981, the model year is contained in the VIN. Although the date of manufacturer is not necessarily the "model year", it obviously is vital information in understanding the "revision level" of the vehicle which might be needed in for identifying the proper replacement parts.

I'm I missing something that makes the Tesla's unique with this regard to identify model year of vehicle, even if the they choose not to market them based on this?

 

[Runt8]

I've heard all this before, but isn't this really a marketing tactic? I understand that vehicles in general, are bought, sold, insured, taxed, depreciated, etc., based on model year. There is a label on all US cars, typically in the driver's door jamb, called the FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard) label. By law, it states the month and year of manufacture.
Additionally since 1981, the model year is contained in the VIN. Although the date of manufacturer is not necessarily the "model year", it obviously is vital information in understanding the "revision level" of the vehicle which might be needed in for identifying the proper replacement parts.

I'm I missing something that makes the Tesla's unique with this regard to identify model year of vehicle, even if the they choose not to market them based on this?

Model year is more than just marketing for other manufacturers - they use them to delineate features. Unlike Tesla, once a feature set is decided for a specific model year it very rarely changes.

As for the other uses of model years, I would assume that Tesla uses the manufacture year, but that’s just a guess.

 

[coupedncal]

To add to what boiler81 stated, if you go out to purchase a used Model S, one would think the older the car, the lower the price of the car would be. Granted, the depreciation in case of Teslas has more to do with the AP generation than the model year, but everything else being equal, you are likely to get lower price for a 2013 year car compared to a 2014 year car. So as a buyer for say a new car, wouldn't i want to know upfront what year car am I getting that say going back to my earlier example, gets delivered to me Dec 01, 2017. It seems Teslas is having their cake and eating it too when it comes to selling new cars as they have very cleverly removed the model year from the buying equation and thereby keeping their cars fresh in the inventory even if they happen to be months old. And the cars don't take the classical depreciation hit when the "model year" rolls over.

And I am one of the fan boys of Tesla and this is not a criticism. The intent here is just to point out one noted difference compared to the other manufacturers.

 

[igotzzoom]

For all intents and purposes, I'd think the current batch of 3s would be 2018s. Probably will be until summer '18.

 

[smartypnz]

Believe it has been based on build.

Dec 31st would be a 2017. Jan 1st (next car on the line) is a 2018.

 

[Runt8]

To add to what boiler81 stated, if you go out to purchase a used Model S, one would think the older the car, the lower the price of the car would be. Granted, the depreciation in case of Teslas has more to do with the AP generation than the model year, but everything else being equal, you are likely to get lower price for a 2013 year car compared to a 2014 year car. So as a buyer for say a new car, wouldn't i want to know upfront what year car am I getting that say going back to my earlier example, gets delivered to me Dec 01, 2017. It seems Teslas is having their cake and eating it too when it comes to selling new cars as they have very cleverly removed the model year from the buying equation and thereby keeping their cars fresh in the inventory even if they happen to be months old. And the cars don't take the classical depreciation hit when the "model year" rolls over.

And I am one of the fan boys of Tesla and this is not a criticism. The intent here is just to point out one noted difference compared to the other manufacturers.

Used Teslas are generally priced according to battery size and major features (ie, autopilot).

 

[Petra]

Although the date of manufacturer is not necessarily the "model year", it obviously is vital information in understanding the "revision level" of the vehicle which might be needed in for identifying the proper replacement parts.

I'm I missing something that makes the Tesla's unique with this regard to identify model year of vehicle, even if the they choose not to market them based on this?

The sticker in the door jamb will give you the month and year of the build date. From a regulatory standpoint, the year in which the car was built serves as the model year. From a parts standpoint, year of construction isn't really enough information--enough changes are made to where you need year and month of construction... though, some changes happen mid-month so you'd probably have to just rely on the QR code of the part you need or order via VIN lookup, since Tesla can pull build info from their database. Granted, Tesla also updates, redesigns, and retrofits stuff sometimes. Extended delays between ordering and production can also make things screwey because you end up with cars being built with discontinued features sometimes (e.g. my Model S with grey gen. 1.5 seats was built a month after the option was discontinued).

 

[FlyingKiwi]

Tesla doesn’t do traditional model years. They use an ongoing beta testing program where new features/bugs are added when they’re ready, instead of waiting for the next years model. Makes it difficult to compare features but customers end up getting improvements more quickly.

Ftfy.

 

[Topher]

It seems Teslas is having their cake and eating it too when it comes to selling new cars as they have very cleverly removed the model year from the buying equation and thereby keeping their cars fresh in the inventory even if they happen to be months old.

FUD.

The date of the car's manufacturer is on the manufacture plate, and (encoded) on the VIN. Tesla is hiding nothing. All they have removed is a confusing 'model year' which differs from calendar year, and (in other manufacturers cars) ALSO creates a price difference separate from manufacture date. By relying on date of manufacture instead of fictional 'model year' they are being more honest with their customers.

Thank you kindly.

 

[jbcarioca]

For all intents and purposes, I'd think the current batch of 3s would be 2018s. Probably will be until summer '18.

As several people have already said, Tesla uses calendar year and does not have model years.

A specific example that I know personally. My P85D was manufactured (i.e. had vin issued) on December 23, 2014. It is therefore a 2014 'model' year. The very first P85D's were delivered during late 4th quarter 2014 fro almost all of them were 2015 builds, but a tiny handful, like mine are 2014's

Model 3 follows the same rule as do other Tesla models.

For depreciation one can assume that model year might be a more material factor. Still, when looking at actual Tesla resale prices it seems the exact Model, features and condition are more material than is production year. That said I suspect the very earliest production of any given model probably will be cheaper than will alter production versions. As such my 2014 vintage P85D+, now P85D+ with LTE, will be cheaper than will be alter ones, unless somebody values the + suspension.

Whatever we think, Tesla does not have the same rules as do others precisely because of the OTA updates and occasional retrofit improvements. Again, my earliest production P85D has had many OTA improvements (Autopilot enablement, for example was OTA several months after purchase) and both the Ludicrous and LTE that were hardware changes too.

Nobody should be preoccupied with "Model year" with Tesla. Hardware updates might be material.

"Model year" really isn't... but resale values tell the story, if there is one. A few months ago I considered trading my car for a new P100D. At the same time an owner of a later P85D was also considering the same. Both cars had roughly similar options including Ludicrous and LTE and both had about 25,000 miles at the time. It appeared we were offered the identical price even though his was a 2015 and mine a 2014. One case does not make a pattern so I recount this tale only because it reflects my suspicion.

OTOH, I bought mine as an inventory car and saved a bundle. I bought it in 2015. Did production year make a price difference? I really have no proof one way or the other, especially because I bought it at the end of the first quarter.

 

[JoaoD]

According to other manufacturers it is at least a 2020 Model

 

[bradl]

Nobody should be preoccupied with "Model year"

Can I put "meh" in the model year field on my DMV registration, title and insurance?

 

[Runt8]

Can I put "meh" in the model year field on my DMV registration, title and insurance?

Yes!

Will they deny your application? Probably

 

[Skotty]

Model year matters because of red tape. While I don't care to try to recall every instance where I've needed it, I know many times in my life I have had to write the model year of my car on a form or tell it to someone. Be it for insurance, government forms, etc. So Tesla might not care about year, but society does, so people need to know what model year their Tesla's are.

It's not just manufacture year in most cases (although it could be for Tesla, and maybe that is what people are saying). I'm sure there are plenty of model year 2018 cars sitting on lots right now (and if not, by November for sure), and obviously those cars, since they exist, where manufactured before 2018, as it's not 2018 yet. But it may be the case that Tesla specifically just goes by manufacture date.

There is a sticker on the front driver side door area that shows a month and date, but it's not immediately clear whether or not that signifies the "official" model year. But without a more official word on the matter, I guess that is what I would assume. You can also tell by the VIN by looking at the 10th character. C=2012, D=2013, E=2014, F=2015, G=2016, H=2017, J=2018. Some letters are skipped because they can be confused with numbers; note how 2018 skips over I and goes straight to J.

So if you see a Model 3, check the VIN if you want to know for sure.

Model year is also just handy to give people a rough idea of when your car is from.

 

[jbcarioca]

FWIW, my other country is Brazil. Here in Brazil cars are sold with both manufacturing year and model year as in 2011/2012. For Tesla, whenever they get here this years production of cars would be 2017/2017 regardless of when they arrive in the country. Many importers have very long supply chains here so, for example, BMW is still selling 2016/2017 models.

 

[augkuo]

The 10th digit in the VIN is the model year of the car. For this one (100) it's a 2017

Redirect Notice - VIN decoder

 

[Az_Rael]

For all intents and purposes, I'd think the current batch of 3s would be 2018s. Probably will be until summer '18.

No, they will be 2017 model years until December 31. Then the first January cars will be 2018s. 2019 cars will come out January 2019.

So you could take delivery of a 2017 3 in the first week or so of January 2018. No discounts for that, which causes all sorts of annual consternation around these forums when people are buying cars close to the end of the year.