In Tesla’s bid to follow through with its promise of selling the Model 3 for $35,000, it seems to be employing some cost-cutting measures.
Not only does the Model 3 appear to have one of the sparsest interiors of any car on the market, including the lack of a gauge cluster, recent video of the third Model 3 production car built indicates it may actually use a hotel-like key card rather than a regular key fob.
A couple of days ago, Tesla’s senior vice president of engineering, Doug Field, was seen entering his Model 3 with what appeared to be a small black case, potentially carrying a key card. Images of Model 3s at the company’s Fremont factory have also shown intriguing white key cards with the Tesla logo placed in a cupholder.
On one hand, creating a key card for a car does make some sense. Rather than carrying a key around, you could simply slide the card into your wallet or purse when not driving. However, if the key card theory proves accurate, we can’t help but think it’s been designed as a way for the automaker to save money.
Model 3 booklet containing the keycard? (No keyfobs for this car) pic.twitter.com/mhMOkvPtFi
— Model 3 Owners Club (@Model3Owners) July 21, 2017