Surprise! Tesla just unveiled a major update to its Model 3 electric sedan in Europe. The broad strokes and much of the body are the same, but Tesla says that around 50% of the new Model 3’s parts are new, making this a bit more than just a facelift.
Speaking of the face, this is where the most obvious changes to the Model 3 can be seen. The new headlights are sleeker and more streamlined with a new LED light signature beneath. The entire front bumper has also been streamlined, ditching the lower corner fog lights and smoothing over the already small lower air intake. Along with the reshaped 18-inch Aero wheels, this should make the new Model the the most aerodynamic model in the lineup with a drag coefficient of just 0.219. The reduction in drag alone is worth around a 5-8% boost in range, according to the automaker.
Tesla must have made more unspecified changes to the rest of the EV and its powertrain because the new European single-motor, Standard Range model has grown to 344 miles on the global WLTP standard. Meanwhile, the dual-motor Long Range climbs to 421 miles WLTP. Those numbers are bound to shrink once the EPA’s more stringent test cycle takes a bite out of ’em, but this is still around an 11% improvement over the current WLTP numbers.