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DETROIT — Tesla Motors Inc said on Wednesday it will name its planned small car, intended to move the electric car maker into a broader consumer segment, the Model 3.

The vehicle will go on sale in 2017 and compete with BMW’s 3 Series sedans.

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The Model 3 will be priced starting at US$35,000, or half the starting price of Tesla’s first mass-market car, the Model S sedan.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has said the new car will have a driving range of about 200 miles on a full charge. Musk has also said the new vehicle will be about the same size as the BMW 3 Series.

The smaller car is the third generation of Tesla vehicles, following the Roadster sports car which had limited production and two vehicles built on the same underpinning architecture: the Model S, introduced in mid-2012, and the Model X. The latter is expected to go on sale in 2015.

U.S. consumers can lower the cost of electric vehicles with a US$7,500 federal tax credit and some states including California offer state tax credits as well.