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Wondering why Tesla does not offer a rwd L/R with the same battery?
- Thread starter Steve2150
- Start date
They used to (in 2018) several members here have (or at least had) that model. They just dont offer it any longer. It wasnt like a 100 more miles rated range or something, either. I think it was rated at right around what the LR / AWD is right now, but am not 100% sure on that because I dont have that model.
I also changed your thread title because "Range" as the thread title did not describe what you were asking.
I also changed your thread title because "Range" as the thread title did not describe what you were asking.
I think it also has to do with simplifying the product line up. Another variant means another change to the production line and Tesla, by and large, keeps options/configurations to a minimum. As @jjrandorin says above, they did offer the M3 in a LR/RWD but perhaps the sales of it just didn't justify the cost of keeping a production option open.
Because they believe they can make more money by only making an AWD Long Range.
It's gains from higher-margin upsell to AWD v losing (lower margin) potential RWD sales.
It's gains from higher-margin upsell to AWD v losing (lower margin) potential RWD sales.
They play with the packages depending on demand. When demand is high then only the most expensive packages and profitable (per car) are available. Like when the Model 3 first came out they talked about a $35,000 version of it but it was a year or more before you could actually order that and I actually am not sure you could ever order it via the web. You had to do something offline or something. Like right now you can't order a regular dual motor long range on the web although you can order one by going to a sale center and have a sales person do it. They try to restrict the lower priced ones depending on demand.
*If* you ever see a single motor long range battery option in the future my guess it means demand is really low.
*If* you ever see a single motor long range battery option in the future my guess it means demand is really low.
I am fairly certain (but not 100% so) that you are correct that the $35,000 model 3 never could be ordered online. It was also supposed to be different (de-contented), have cloth seats, I think no glass roof, shorter range, etc etc. Tesla ended up basically making it a compliance vehicle and reduced range on that version via software, and made it very difficult for people to actually order one.
I remember how sleazy it felt at the time, just like how they used to show the price of the vehicle with "gas savings" as part of the shown price of the vehicle as a default. Before anyone tells me, Yes I know traditional dealers do that, and I cant stand it, and didnt like it at all when Tesla did it either.
davewill
Active Member
Yeah, you had to know about it. If you did, ordering one in a Tesla store was simple enough. However, it wasn't any sort of compliance vehicle in the U.S., it was strictly a marketing thing so they could claim that they had met the $35K price target.
In Canada, they had a cheap version that had a VERY software limited battery which was offered so that the entire Model 3 lineup was eligible for a government subsidy.
I have the 2018 RWD LR and the advertised range was 310 miles. That was before they had several firmware releases that improved efficiency. Would be interesting to see what the range would be with the latest battery today.
Yeah if I remember, it was 310 range (like my model 3 performance actually), but then was "increased to 325 rated range". I am saying this from memory and I am sure you would remember better, but I remember some people being unhappy because they never saw the stated rated range increase (let alone that much change in actual range, not rated range).
Lindenwood
Active Member
From a marketing standpoint, people would want to pay $5k less for a RWD-only variant with everything else the same, except it would only save perhaps $1-2k in actual assembly to do so. Thus, as long as demand remains sufficient and Tesla is so far ahead of the curve in market share, Tesla has zero incentive to try to capture a cheaper market by eating into their own profits.
They are honestly better off doing what they are doing—keeping markings high so they can continue investing in the necessary improvements to make EVa truly mainstream.
They are honestly better off doing what they are doing—keeping markings high so they can continue investing in the necessary improvements to make EVa truly mainstream.
Yeah I never saw the bump in range, but by that time my battery had probably lost some capacity to age (June ‘18 build) and use. I always use the battery % so don’t really pay attention to stated range.
Some people might have actually preferred cloth seats and non-glass roof... but it looks like the SR that was actually sold for $35,000 for some time was the same as the SR+ with software limitations on battery capacity and some interior features, though an SR could be later upgraded to an SR+ by paying $2,000 to remove the software limitations.
FuelEconomy.gov - The official U.S. government source for fuel economy information. remembers, in case you want to look up EPA rated range for various model years. However, some variants do not seem to be present (e.g. the 2021 SR+ with 54kWh LFP battery).
More hardware variations also means more costs in managing inventory and supply chain.
Right now, all large NCA battery Model 3 cars in the US are the higher profit Performance version rather than the LR AWD version. It is unlikely that they will offer an LR 2WD version for less than the LR AWD version at this time. It will take Model 3 Performance demand to fall just to get them to bring back the LR AWD version.
davewill
Active Member
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
You can’t buy a LR RWD for the same reason you can’t buy a LR AWD right now. Tesla doesn’t want to sell them and would rather put the pack in a more profitable M3P or Model Y.
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