Tesla Debuts Long-Range Model 3 Amid Range Exaggeration Claims

Tesla will debut its refreshed Model 3 in China and then Germany this month claiming a 377-mile range, albeit against a backdrop of allegations it has wildly over estimated range claims to date.

Federal prosecutors are looking into Tesla performance claims after Reuters reported the carmaker exaggerated the potential driving distance of its vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reported. Reuters reported in July that Tesla cars often fail to achieve their advertised range estimates and projections reported by the cars' own equipment, citing experts who tested or studied them. It claims the company wrote algorithms about a decade ago to create “rosy” dashboard driving range estimates and set up a “Diversion Team” to cancel range-related service appointments. It is alleged that the automaker deployed the team because its service centers were inundated with appointments from owners who had expected better performance based on the company’s advertised estimates and the projections displayed by the vehicles’ computers.

Now Tesla said it would debut the new Model 3 at a trade fair in Beijing on Saturday and some of its new features, including a rear display for back-seat passengers, appear aimed at Chinese car buyers. The company said Tesla the new model for China also featured a better acoustic system, a more comfortable interior and additional airbags. Images of the exterior showed only small changes to the front and headlights.

It claims the range of the vehicle has been upped by about 9% and that it would also show the car at the IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich. German automakers are expected to use that stage to announce a run of new EVs partly in response to China's fast-shifting market. Those include a new version of the Volkswagen ID.7 and a new electric CLA model sedan from Mercedes-Benz.

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_  and Threads