During the launch of Tesla Malaysia’s headquarters at Cyberjaya, the carmaker announced that the Tesla Model 3 ‘Highland’ facelift will be arriving on Malaysian shores this month (October 2023) as the brand’s second model in the country. Customer deliveries on the other hand are expected to take place at the end of this year (2023).
Just in case you are confused, customer deliveries for the Tesla Model 3 facelift are indeed taking place before the Model Y. The Model Y was officially launched in July this year, with customer deliveries predicted to begin around early 2024.
Prices for the Tesla Model 3 ‘Highland’ facelift were first announced last month. The all-electric sedan is available from RM189,000 for the entry-level rear-wheel drive (RWD) variant, while the top-spec dual-motor long-range all-wheel drive (AWD) variant is available at RM218,000.
On the outside, the facelifted Tesla Model 3 wears a new front fascia and a new rear-end design. There are also new exterior colours offered, namely Ultra Red and Stealth Grey.
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Inside, there is a redesigned dashboard with ambient lighting. The facelifted Tesla Model 3 now sports a new steering wheel too, but does without an indicator stalk. To indicate, drivers may do it via touch buttons located on the left spoke of the steering wheel. Tesla also claims improvement in noise insulation levels inside the car.
Performance-wise, no changes have been made to the Model 3’s high-voltage battery and the motors. No outputs are listed on Tesla Malaysia’s website just yet, but what is confirmed is the RWD variant does the century sprint in 6.1 seconds while the dual-motor variant does the same in 4.4 seconds. Both variants can reach the same top speed of 201 km/h.
As for range, the RWD variant is capable of carrying you as far as 513 km (WLTP), while the long-range AWD variant can carry you even further at up to 629 km (WLTP). The long-range AWD variant’s improved range over its predecessor is mainly thanks to improved aerodynamics.
Like the Malaysian market Tesla Model Y, the facelifted Model 3 comes with only 1 standard colour option which is Pearl White Multi-coat. Opting for other colour options will come at an extra cost.
Safety features such as Enhanced AutoPilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability also cost an additional RM16,000 and RM32,000 respectively, just like the Tesla Model Y.
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