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Just joined the forum. I plan to put my deposit down on the 31st at a store near me or online later that day. Anyone plan to do the same?

$35,000 is the price point that is being mentioned by Elon Musk and Tesla for the Model 3.  But is this an out the door price or a stripped down bare model that will then need an additional $10k or more to be a well fitted car?  Also, is this before or after incentives and will those incentives such as the tax credit still apply to the Tesla 3 the same way they do to the Model S and X?

So I've heard that Tesla will start taking deposits, somewhere around $5000 beginning in March of 2016.  Has anyone here done this with a Model X or Model S and can explain how it works?  Do you lose the deposit if you don't follow through with buying the car?  Are you allowed to resell a Tesla just like any other car or are there constraints or issues because of the battery tech or warranty?  Do they offer financing or do you need to get that independently? 

What do you do if you're sitting in a hotel lobby and happen to overhear the Tesla design chief on the phone next to you?  You ask as many questions about the upcoming Tesla 3 that he'll permit you to ask of course!  And that's just what Daniel hoffman, a regular reader of CleanTechnica did when he found himself in that very situation.  Daniel could only get a few quick answers out of Bernhard Lee, Tesla's design chief and he was expectedly very tight-lipped but here's how the conversation supposedly went down according to Daniel:

I also asked him if it will be a shrunken Model S, and he said it will be similar, BUT it will have very special design. I also asked if there will be any delay, and he said very firmly “no”. I also asked if the March showcasing is on, and it is (he was surprised I knew the month). Unfortunately he seemed very busy, so I couldn’t annoy him any longer. But it seems that they are not trying to make a cheap design for their “cheap” model. I’m really happy about that, because if I wouldn’t buy a Model S, then the Model 3 is an obvious choice.

And there you have it.  So if the Tesla 3 will have a similar design theme to the Tesla S but with some 'special design' touches, the above and below renderings by Designrm seem spot on or at least close to what we could expect...which isn't a bad thing for the $35,000 Model 3 due to be shown to the public this coming march and available for purchase in 2017.  Let us know what you think in the comments below.

We're seeking a few passionate Tesla 3 owners or fans to serve as moderators on the site and forum.  It's a great way to help build our community while having 'superpowers' and extra privileges around the site.  Some of the duties include answering questions, starting up conversations and policing spam.  Let us know if you're interested in joining the team!