That's not how Teala works.
The down payment (reservation) you have them is all that is needed to build your car. However, once you get access to the design studio and confirm your order, you have 1 week to make changes (if I recall correctly). After that it's set in stone and you're committed to buy the car. If you decline after the process starts you forfeit your deposit. Balance is due when you pick up the car from the local service centre. If you need financing you'll have to arrange it before you pick up the car. Talk to your local Tesla showroom if you need more details butt his is the way it works for Model S and Model X.
They try to make it easy as possible. Matter of fact, lease paperwork I've heard is simply done on the Model S touch screen. You press accept and it's done.
Based on how Tesla has done things in the past, they batch invitations based on geographical areas. Once they get confirmations in that area they batch cars together for production and delivery.
As in the past, the more options you order on the car the higher up in the queue it will be. Tesla needs to recoup their capital costs as fast a possible and they can only achieve this with high-margin optioned vehicles.
Given the sheer enormity of the current backlog they could alter things but at the moment I hear that all their efforts are focussed on how to ramp up production as fast as possible once the car is finished sometime next year. This is going to be a monumental undertaking for them. First order of business is to finish tooling design and planning then tool the factory. I expect that to happen sometime this year. The Gigafactory will also surely be accelerated to start making cells ASAP for the stockpile they will need.
Hope this helps
Three quick questions:
1. If you buy a Model S between now and Model 3 release date, do you go up in priority?
2. Can you game your way up in priority by buying more options?
3. Can you take delivery on the West Coast even if you live on the East Coast? (That would seem to defeat the purpose, which would be faster turnaround for fixing early problems/bugs.)
You can go in and 'build' a model S now and see what the standard base model gets you now. IMO, your tricked out Model3 will have more to it than the base S in a smaller footprint. Lining up the two with similar features/options, the 3 I expect to cost significantlay less.
Based on how Tesla has done things in the past, they batch invitations based on geographical areas. Once they get confirmations in that area they batch cars together for production and delivery.
As in the past, the more options you order on the car the higher up in the queue it will be. Tesla needs to recoup their capital costs as fast a possible and they can only achieve this with high-margin optioned vehicles.
Given the sheer enormity of the current backlog they could alter things but at the moment I hear that all their efforts are focussed on how to ramp up production as fast as possible once the car is finished sometime next year. This is going to be a monumental undertaking for them. First order of business is to finish tooling design and planning then tool the factory. I expect that to happen sometime this year. The Gigafactory will also surely be accelerated to start making cells ASAP for the stockpile they will need.
Hope this helps
I'm tallish - but not crazy tall.
What I was thinking was this:
If you can only really count on the federal and state incentives into mid 2017, would you be better off buying a 70D Model S and taking the $10,500 you can get in MD from the feds and the state and getting an S for about $60,000, OR are you better off waiting for the Model 3, tricking it out to $50,000 to $55,000 knowing that you will probably not get the federal or state credit?
I can imagine you can get more options on the 3 - and you may even get greater range and acceleration. The car will be smaller though. And maybe the base S is still well above a tricked out Model 3. Do you guys have any opinion on that?
no S for me. I never was really interested in it because of it's size (and price,...but I was totally interested in the roadster despite the price even though no hope of affording one)
Trevor,
Is there any benefit for me to take delivery in Freemont? Save on delivery charges, earlier Delivery?
...
3) It can be done but note that there are issues around taxes. Currently you'd pay CA and your states taxes. They're trying to fight that (as it can drive "tourism") but its still an open issue. So financially it may not make sense. Also taking delivery of an EV and then driving it a very long distance as your first experience isn't something i'd recommend.