Tesla Compact Cars

The guys at Edmunds recently had a chance to pit the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance against the popular Tesla Model Y Performance in a series of quarter-mile drag races and a roll race.

On October 25, Hertz announced an initial order for 100,000 Teslas. The order would have given Hertz the title of having the largest electric vehicle (EV) rental fleet in North America. Unfortunately, this deal has not yet been signed by Tesla, according to a recent tweet by its CEO Elon Musk.

Tuning cars has gotten a lot harder since EVs have hit the market, and there’s usually no real need for more power, so what are you to do? Well, Senner Tuning set out to squeeze even more range out of the Tesla Model 3 performance. It actually managed to do so, squeezing out an extra 60 km of range or around 37.28 miles. What’s even more impressive is that it happened without altering the better or playing with Tesla’s software.

The big highlight of this tune, believe it or not, is the new suspension system. The stock springs and shocks were removed and replaced with KW Variant 3 coilover suspension. This system allows for stepless body lowering and adjustments to control both the compression and rebound stages. The big point here, though is the new lowered stance that actually improves the ride and reduces wind resistance by around 7-percent on a Model 3 RWD, so you can expect a similar enhancement with the Model 3 Performance. The next step was adding in new weight-optimized tires and rims that reduced rotating mass by as much as 40-percent – something that can increase range by as much as 57 km. The wheels you see here are lightweight Kharma rims from Cor.Speed Sports Wheels. The measure 20 inches and feature a two-tone finish from left to right.

In the end, all it took was a revised suspension and lighter wheels to push the Model 3 Performance’s range to 634 km or 387 miles.

Tesla has got four mass-produced models in the market today and all of them are doing extremely well. The S3XY range is now mature and will keep the ball rolling for the automaker, but it’s now time for Tesla to focus on its next quartet to further establish its dominance. We already know that the Cybertruck, the next-gen Roadster, and the SEMI are in the pipeline, but there’s another upcoming model that could become the company’s best-seller if it plays its card right. We’re talking about the supposedly mythical, $25,000 hatchback, dubbed as the Model 2, and Autocar seems to have some news about it

The publication has reported that Tesla’s cheapest EV is set to go on sale in 2023. Now, going by Musk’s timeline, we don’t see that happening for at least the next 2-3 years. Would customer deliveries in 2027 be a realistic expectation?

In the world of modifying cars, engine swaps are almost as common as mustard on a hot dog. You have the mainstream ones, like Chevrolet LS swaps, which is perfectly understandable, as they have the tuning potential and fit in just about any engine bay. Of course, you have the Toyota JZ or Nissan RB-series swaps, which are almost exclusive to the JDM spectrum of cars. The one, shown in this YouTube video by Gumbal, is a bit odd because it’s a Golf R with a modified 2.5-liter inline-five engine from Audi.

At the 2020 Tesla Battery Day event, Musk announced that the company will build a $25,000 ‘affordable’ EV. This came as a surprise because Musk had mentioned in the past that the company will not build an inexpensive vehicle. There are no specific details about the car yet, not even the body style, but it is expected to be a hatch.

An artist who goes by the handle ‘KDesign AG’ has rendered the $25,000 EV and uploaded it on Behance. The artist calls it the Model H, and honestly, it looks super classy.

The Tesla Model 3 is the undisputed king despite some strong upcoming competition, like the Polestar 2. People may say it’s because of the first-mover advantage or the fact that it has been in the segment the longest, which is true to an extent, but it’s also because of the continuous updates. Tesla has managed to keep the product fresh – even though it looks the same from the beginning – by introducing new packages, constant over-the-air updates, and so on. Now, the automaker has refreshed the Model 3 for the 2020 model year and it comes with quite a few changes that make it an even better product.

A few years ago when it only sold the Model S, Tesla promised a new electric car that would be better and more affordable than the Nissan Leaf. That project became the Model 3, but even though it is better than the Leaf, it’s not more affordable. Originally targeted to start from around $30,000, the Model 3 was priced from $35,000, and it currently retails from almost $38,000. Come 2020 and Elon Musk promises that Tesla will make a $25,000 car in three years.

Tesla cars have been eviscerating legendary supercars for quite some time now. Thanks to constant updates from the company, the performance levels of many models are getting better and better. Recently, a skimmed Tesla Model X broke the 11-second barrier in a quarter-mile run.

This time, it’s the Tesla Model 3 and it has taken down the yesteryear McLaren F1. Although the F1 is a hypercar from the 1990s, it is still regarded as one of the best performance cars out there. The Model 3 has beaten McLaren F1’s time around the Tsukuba Circuit in Japan, but there’s a catch. The Model 3 that did the run was not stock. Does it matter?

The Model 3 Performance has proven its worth time and again on drag strips and in straight-line races. It has put some big names to shame courtesy of its fantastic instant torque deliver and speed-raking skills. But, how does it perform on the ‘Lord of the Rings’ called the Nurburgring? Racetrack-expert, Misha Charoudin, took it to the iconic track, and it left him impressed, but he had a few pointers for Tesla as well.

The Tesla Owners Silicon Valley group asked Elon Musk on Twitter if the company has plans to launch a Track Mode for the Model Y and the CEO replied in the affirmative. Despite a few flaws in its build and build quality, the Model Y has started well and is raking in good sales numbers for Tesla. So, the addition of a Track Mode will lure a lot more people and make this a complete package overall.

Remember the top cop of the Bargersville, Indiana Police Department who made a move to add Tesla Model 3s in his department’s patrol fleet? Well, it looks like the EVs are serving well.

Police office Todd Bertram was asked on Twitter how his experiment’s been going after he decided to add Tesla Model 3 in the fleet. He replied that the breakeven point will be much sooner than the department had expected. Is this a big win for Tesla or what?

Tesla cars are known not only for their electric powertrains, but also for the amount of technology they offer. You’d expect Tesla to be at the zenith when it comes to offering high-tech features, but surprisingly, that was not the case with a few things.

But, Tesla has finally introduced it. We’re talking about two features here – wireless charging and USB C-ports. The automaker has finally decided to offer it on its entry-level EV. Better late than never, right?

It was only a matter of time before the Model 3 went under the knife. As is the case with all popular vehicles, aftermarket companies lay their hands on them and try to give a twist in their own ways. We’ve seen the Tesla Model 3 being experimented on in the past, but we haven’t seen anything like this before. Newport Convertible Engineering has laid its hands on the electric car and converted it into a drop-top model. Do you like it?

Tesla has improved the build quality on the Model 3 vastly in the last few years, but there are a lot of wrinkles yet to be ironed out. This is more or less the story with the other products too. The cars suffer from paint issues, panel gaps, etc., but this incident perhaps tops them all.

In the U.K., a brand new Tesla Model 3’s steering wheel has fallen off while it was in motion. Quality has never been the company’s strongest suit, but this is outrageous and life-threatening.

Have you ever wondered how the aftermarket tuning works for EVs? You don’t have much stuff in the powertrain that you can play around with. These machines are so different that a power boost can be done via an over-the-air update. There aren’t a lot of companies who have worked on electric cars yet.

However, a company called RevoZport, has laid its hands on the Tesla Model 3 Performance and experimented with what can be done. The result is an electric car with supercar-like aerodynamics that makes it a hoot-and-a-half to drive. Not to mention, it also looks sporty with those body kits. Do you think aerodynamics will play a big part in customizing an electric car for performance?

Tesla has finally released an optional tow hook for the Model Y and made it official that the U.S.-spec Model Y is rated for towing. In the owner’s manual, the automaker mentioned that the crossover had no provision for towing, even though there was an outlet at the back of the car which suggested otherwise.

However, now Tesla has added the tow hitch to its online configurator. The hitch is priced at $1,000 and is rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds. This is good news, but why didn’t Tesla announce this from the offset?