National

Tesla reintroduces car for ‘cheap’ $66,000

By Kate Irby

kirby@mcclatchy.com
Tesla Motors unveils the new lower-priced Model 3 sedan at the Tesla Motors design studio in California on March 31. It doesn't go on sale until late 2017, but in the first 24 hours that order banks were open, Tesla said it had more than 115,000 reservations. Buyers put down a $1,000 deposit to reserve the car.
Tesla Motors unveils the new lower-priced Model 3 sedan at the Tesla Motors design studio in California on March 31. It doesn't go on sale until late 2017, but in the first 24 hours that order banks were open, Tesla said it had more than 115,000 reservations. Buyers put down a $1,000 deposit to reserve the car. Justin Pritchard AP

Tesla Motors Inc. has been trying to release cheaper cars to appeal to the general market, and their latest attempt was released Thursday.

The “cheap” version of a Model S has a base price of $66,000. The longer-range versions of the Model S start at $89,500.

Tesla discontinued sales of the lower-range sedan last year and decided to restart it Thursday for slightly cheaper than before. The car gets 200 miles of range on one battery charge, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Tesla is supposed to release an even more affordable version, called the Model 3, in the second half of 2017. It starts at $35,000.

Many Tesla vehicles sell for more than $100,000.

This story was originally published June 9, 2016 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Tesla reintroduces car for ‘cheap’ $66,000."

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