New Tesla Model 3 Performance due next year with familiar name

The high-performance version of the 2024 Tesla Model 3 is due in showrooms next year.

As previously reported by Drive, the performance version of Tesla's cheapest electric car was absent from the updated line-up unveiled earlier this year.

Now Drive understands the Model 3 Performance is due to return in the first half of 2024 – pending any delays – likely with more power and sharper handling than the previous version.

Leaked photos out of Europe and the US have shown the updated Performance is in line for sportier styling, an upgraded interior with unique sports bucket seats, and changes to its electric motors.

However, Drive has learned it will continue to carry the Performance badge, rather than the Plaid or Ludicrous nameplates rumoured overseas.

The extent of the mechanical upgrades to the updated Model 3 Performance is unclear at this stage, however company insiders say it will exploit untapped performance potential in the original version, which dates back to 2019.

Pricing is yet to be revealed, though it is expected the price rise will be greater than the $1500-4500 increases applied to the rest of the model range, as the upgrades will be more significant.

Showroom arrivals are due sometime in the first half of next year, it is believed – though exact arrival time is yet to be announced.

MORE: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance could be named Ludicrous, first photos leaked

Regular versions of the updated Tesla Model 3 are due in showrooms imminently, a few months ahead of schedule.

For reference, the outgoing Model 3 Performance produced 393kW from dual electric motors, good for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.3 seconds.

Government certification documents filed in Europe show the 2024 Model 3 Performance will continue with dual electric motors – one on each axle – rather than adopt a tri-motor set-up, as seen in the Model S Plaid sold overseas.