Tesla officially planned to release the Model 3 with dual motor all-wheel-drive in “mid-2018” and we have recently seen several signs that the new version of the vehicle is coming.

Now CEO Elon Musk linked the release of the new Model 3 powertrain with the automaker achieving a production rate of 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week, which he now expects to hit in July.

Earlier this year, we reported on Tesla registering 19 Model 3 VINs with dual motor powertrain with NHTSA in the latest batch of new VINs.

It happened right after the Tesla Model 3 dual motor powertrain design (pictured above) leaked in the latest design studio update.

Then in February, Tesla registered a new batch of Model 3 VINs, including two dozen Model 3 VINs with the dual motor powertrain.

It raised Model 3 reservation holders’ hope that the new configuration could soon become available, but now Musk confirmed that it is still a few months away in a series of tweets last night:

We need to achieve 5k/week with Model 3 before adding complexity that would inhibit production ramp — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2018

So probably July — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2018

The CEO also linked the timing with the release of the Model 3 white interior. Tesla currently only offers a single interior option with black upholstery.

The dual motor Model 3 is expected to deliver a slightly longer range and offer a quicker acceleration than the current single motor rear-wheel-drive version.

Last week, Tesla confirmed that they are now producing about 2,000 Model 3 vehicles per week.

Electrek’s Take

What is most interesting here is that it implies Tesla expects to be able to produce and deliver up to 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week with a single configuration.

The Model 3 is currently only offered with a rear-wheel-drive motor and ‘Long Range’ battery pack.

The standard battery pack and the dual motor configurations are expected to be quite popular and represent a significant part of the overall orders from reservation holders.

Yet, Tesla appears to expect to have enough orders for the RWD Long Range Model 3 over the next few months to produce several thousand Model 3 vehicles per week over that period of time.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

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