Tesla Model 3 nets 276k preorders, $11.5bn in weekend

At the minimum list price of $35,000 (and the initial $1,000 deposit), that’s north of $9.6bn in orders that Tesla Motors has generated – scheduled for delivery in mid to late 2017. That seems like an unprecedented event for the automotive industry, and likely an unprecedented achievement in any consumer-facing market – nothing else springs to mind. At the average price, that figure is nearer $11.5bn Some of those orders will be cancelled before shipping, but it seems certain that Tesla would recoup those losses in first-day sales that didn’t preorder. Pending some sort of PR disaster or news leak, Tesla has finally delivered on its automotive promise. The company is now a potentially very disruptive force, that straddles the divide…