Andreas Stephens has waited 25 years for the new Tesla Model 3.

Braving a chilly Sydney morning, the Strathfield investor is the first customer in line to see the new Tesla at its local debut.

The manufacturer has imported a handful of left-hand-drive models to give potential owners a static hands-on look at its most affordable model.

Having owned a 1993 Toyota Corolla from new, Stephens has waited a long time to buy his next car.

“I’m not a car enthusiast as such, I never had a need to upgrade my car,” he says.

“When I bought my first car my dream was to have an electric car as my next car. But at the time, in the early 1990s, that seemed like a pretty unrealistic expectation.

“So I’m really excited that I’m now actually able to get an electric car.”

Unsurprisingly, given a two-hour wait in the cold, the first thing Stephens samples are the Model 3’s seat heaters.

“I haven’t got that in my car. It was warm straight away, I could feel that in the few minutes I was in the car,” he says.

It’s fair to say the future owner is a fan of the Model 3 concept: “It’s fantastic, more than anything I’ve experienced in a car.”

The Model 3 will be one of the most modern cars on sale when it arrives in late 2019.

Powered exclusively by battery packs feeding electric motors, the machine will feature "Autopilot" semi-autonomous driver aids and a radical cockpit which does away with conventional buttons in favour of a central 15-inch computer display.

That screen is used as the speedo, infotainment system, climate control panel and more. You can even use it to adjust the position of air vents or activate the windscreen wipers.

Mark and Stephanie Uremovic were next in line.

Like Stephens, the young couple ordered their example back in 2016, having test-driven a family member’s much more expensive Model S.

“I had a drive of that and I was blown away,” Mark says.

“The Model 3 is a smaller car, it matched our budget a bit more.

“I’m hoping the base model is around $50,000 or so, potentially with a couple of options.”

While Australian prices have not been confirmed, Tesla says its Sydney demonstrator is worth around $US57,000 ($77,500), which would tip it into the mid-$80,000 range with Australian taxes in place.

The electric sedan has a range of around 500 kilometres, and is able to reach 100km/h in a little more than five seconds.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk originally promoted the Model 3 as an affordable alternative to the luxurious Model S priced from $US35,000 ($47,500). But the company has not built any variants for that price, focusing instead on lucrative models with more equipment.

Describing Musk as a “genius” with a “very interesting personality”, Mark says the car must arrive locally for less than $70,000 in order for him to follow through and buy one.

“I’ve always followed the vision of Tesla itself. I believe in the sustainable transport that they’re trying to push forward,” Mark says.

“Instead of a Prius or something, it looks like a cool car, it’s sporty.

“It doesn’t match your typical ‘this is a hybrid, slow electric car’. It’s turned that on its head.

Stephanie “wasn’t into it” at first, but was eventually won over by the Model 3 after seeing numerous Teslas on the road overseas.

“It’s a lot more affordable than a Model S and potentially suitable for a family,” she says.

The third customer queueing for a look only ordered his car in the last month.

Joshua Bressi expects to pay around $120,000 for a Model 3 Performance sedan he hopes to own before 2020.

“It’s not ideal”, Bressi says of the delay.

“I think that it’s good that they’re doing this [event] to reunite the interest in some customers who probably lost faith.”

Manufacturing difficulties have slowed deliveries of the landmark machine in the US.

Bressi says he was “always pretty keen” on the Model 3, signing on when Musk claimed premium versions would be faster than BMW’s M3 sports sedan in a straight line and around a racetrack.

“Seeing the specs of the Performance version tipped me over the edge and opened my wallet,” Bressi says.

“I think I would like the performance side of it, because the Prius isn’t well known for its performance. I think that would be really cool.

“My brother also works for Tesla in America, and he’s always talking about it.

“So I thought ‘why not?’”

While Tuesday’s debut is exclusive to owners, members of the public can check Tesla’s Model 3 from Wednesday.