Tesla date a mystery

MORE than 200 Australians who put down a $1500 deposit on the hotly anticipated Tesla Model 3 electric car remain in the dark about when they will get their new sedan.

The early adopters, some of whom queued to get a slice of automotive history when Tesla began taking local orders in March last year, do not know where they stand in a waiting list rumoured to be 400,000 people long.

The car went into full-scale production in the US this week ahead of the first overseas customer deliveries by the end of the month. But they are unlikely to arrive in Australia before 2019.