The minimalist Tesla Model 3 design is cool — but also controversial (tsla)

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Tesla unveiled its mass-market Model 3 earlier this year in Los Angeles. In a month, 375,000 pre-orders, at $1,000 a pop, had rolled in.

We knew that the car would be smaller than the Model S and the Model X, and we could make a few assumptions about the general design, given that Teslas are supposed to look like, well, Teslas.

But when CEO Elon Musk finally revealed out the car, there were some definite surprises, from bumper to bumper.

The design of the Model 3 could of course change before its hits the streets in 2017 (if it hits the streets on schedule). What we saw in LA was a pre-production version of the car. But for the most part, Tesla’s “concepts” have entered production more-or-less unaltered.

The Model 3, shown first as a sedan, has some controversial features. But it also has some cool and even spectacular ones. It’s a dramatically minimalist, all-electric car, and it appears to be something that quite a few people would like to put in their garages.