Tesla Model 3 electric arrives in N. Scottsdale

Drivers in Arizona eager to check out Tesla’s highly anticipated Model 3 electric car now have a chance starting today at the Kierland Commons Tesla showroom in Scottsdale.

Tesla has received more than 450,000 pre-orders for the car. In March 2016, hundreds of customers lined up inside Scottsdale Fashion Square to place $1,000 deposits on the car, which was more than a year from production at the time.

“This will be the first opportunity for Phoenix-area consumers to visit the Tesla showroom at Kierland Commons in Scottsdale and see the car, sit inside it, and learn about it from Tesla’s knowledgeable staff,” the company said Thursday.

Test drives will not be offered yet, but a test-drive fleet should arrive in Arizona later this year, the company said.

The Model 3 starts at $35,000, about half the price of Tesla’s nextleast expensive model. The company has been pushing a $50,000 version of the car. But that’s still less than the $100,000 or more many buyers pay for the company’s Model S with various options.

The Model 3 has a range of 220 miles on one charge, with the option for a larger battery.

Tesla has begun the first deliveries of Model 3 cars to some customers, including a limited number of Arizonans, the company said.

The company in 2016 began selling cars directly to customers in Arizona after a long debate with the state.

Production problems at Tesla’s California factory have put Model 3 deliveries far behind schedule.

A customer placing an order today for the car could wait 12 to 18 months to get the vehicle, according to the company. Tesla delivered only about 1,500 Model 3s in the final three months of 2017.

The delays have not deterred enthusiastic fans. When Model 3 vehicles went on display in Los Angeles this month, the store was “mobbed,” according to a report in Forbes.

The fact that Arizona is among the first places to debut the Model 3 is a sign that orders here are particularly high. Officials expect crowds at today’s event.

Tesla has storefronts in Scottsdale Fashion Square and in Tempe, but for now, the Model 3 will be only at the north Scottsdale location, 15215 N. Kierland Blvd. #165B1A. Doors open at 10 a.m.