Tesla gives the Model 3 and Y “base” variants, will they make sense in the PH?

There’s no denying that the Tesla brand in the Philippines has an air of luxury around it, similar to how an Apple device would feel when compared to a Samsung device, even if the latter can turn out to be more expensive than the Apple-branded counterpart.

So that’s why it’s a bit of a surprise to see Tesla announce Standard variants for both its mass-market Model 3 and Model Y electric vehicle siblings.

At the moment, it is a US-only release, and they go for $39,990 (Php 2.319-million) for the Model Y Standard and $36,990 (Php 2.145-million) for the Model 3 Standard. While these don’t come close to the magic under Php 2-million mark, they’re significantly more affordable compared to the current crop of entry-level Tesla offerings.

Power-wise, Tesla doesn’t have any figures for both, but both the Model 3 and Model Y Standard can do up to 517km on a single charge, and a 0-100kph time of 5.8 seconds for the 3 and 6.8 seconds for the Y.

Both lose out on a whole slew of features inside and out to reach that affordable price tag. Part of those are smaller 18-inch wheels, and no frequency selective dampers. Plus, the only free color is Gray, with white and black costing extra.

The Model Y loses the light bars front and back, and the panoramic glass roof has been sealed off with a headliner and insulation. Meanwhile, the Model 3 retains the panoramic glass roof, but curiously, gets manual-folding side mirrors. 

The interior also loses out on the rear passenger screen, you now have textile and leather seats, a manually adjustable steering wheel, an open center console, seat ventilation for the front row, power-folding rear seats, Tesla Autopilot (only with adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitoring), and curiously, you don’t have FM/AM radio, and the speaker count has been cut down to seven.

Would these cheaper variants work well for the Philippine market, or should Tesla just focus on selling the more upmarket trims of both the Model 3 and Model Y?

^{Photos from Tesla}