The global automotive industry’s production problems since the start of the pandemic have been well-documented, with the severe semiconductor shortage largely to blame for extended delivery wait times – but not all brands and models have been affected.
Australian market leader Toyota, for example, was more or less immune from such issues in 2020 and into 2021, but it succumbed to them in the past few months, with its factories eventually coming to a screeching halt for basically the same reasons as others.
This development certainly hasn’t helped models like the RAV4 mid-size SUV, which already had a long waiting list from the pre-pandemic days.
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As reported, the RAV4’s best-selling Hybrid variants have had an average delivery wait time of six months in Australia, but CarsGuide understands that’s now increased to up to 10 months, depending on the specification.
Which brings us to the curious case of Tesla and its recently updated Model 3 mid-size sedan, which is the most popular all-electric vehicle in Australia.
At the time of writing, the Model 3’s unnamed entry-level variant ($59,990 plus on-road costs) has an estimated delivery wait time of eight to 12 weeks, having been as short as two to five weeks in the past fortnight (prior to the aforementioned update), and one to three weeks earlier last month.
To put that into a perspective, a base Model 3 could be delivered – from factory – about five times faster than a RAV4 Hybrid, or 6.5 times faster than one of the surprising number of models with year-long wait times.
And if you want the dual-motor performance (0-100kmh in 4.4s vs 6.1s) and longer WLTP-certified range (614km vs 491km) of the Model 3’s mid-range Long Range variant ($73,400), you’ll have to wait the same eight to 12 weeks for delivery.
Buyers of the Model 3’s flagship Performance variant ($86,629) also have to be patient for just as long, although they will be rewarded for doing so with a 3.3s sprint to triple digits while being able to travel 567km in between charges.
Of note, the Model 3’s delivery wait times have been significantly reduced since its Australian sourcing switched from the US to China with the release of its first big update last October.
Following that move, the Model 3’s sales have notably increased, and while Tesla doesn’t provide such data in Australia, the Electric Vehicle Council estimates about 5031 examples found homes in the first half of this year, up 195.9 per cent.
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