The Tesla Model 3 was unveiled in 2016 and received a thunderous response, garnering 232,000 bookings within two days. One thing that surely contributed to this number was the design of the wheels. The Model 3 prototype came equipped with a set of smoking-hot wheels, which unfortunately didn’t make it to production then. However, Tesla CEO, Elon Musk tweeted that this design would be available as an upgrade later this year! Yes, we are definitely excited about it!

Is This the Wheel of Fortune for Tesla?

Tesla had initially showcased three different wheel designs, out of which two made it to the production, and the hottest looking one didn’t. According to Electrek, the patent applications show that the wheels were designed by Joonas Vartola, a car designer who left Tesla in 2016 to become an independent designer in Finland. After being asked if there’s any update on this the third design, Elon Musk tweeted saying “Will do it later this year. Too much on plate right now. Will be available as an upgrade from service.” Apparently, Tesla abandoned this design in favor of the other two, but it will make a comeback as an optional upgrade.

When the Model 3 was unveiled, Musk said that they “spent a lot of time on those wheels” and that they plan on bringing it to production. However, Tesla ended up bringing the 18-inch ‘aero wheels’ to production as standard. These wheels provide 4.3-percent efficiency boost due to their design, hence the name. According to design patents published last year, Franz Von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief Designer, and Bernard Lee, Design Manager, were credited with designing the aero wheels.

It’s Almost Here

Tesla has kept the upgrade options on the Model 3 to a minimum, in order to ramp up the production and fulfill the pending orders. Tesla has discussed added dual motor all-wheel-drive and Performance models lately, but so far there have been no "new" options to speak of. Two new model versions are said to be coming to production in the next 3-4 months, and post that; Tesla could focus on the upgrade options, including this wheel design. The wheels would be available at Tesla’s online shop, and owners could get them installed at the automaker’s service center.

Our Take

You know a company has struck gold when even a wheel design is anticipated with such excitement. Despite the recent ‘controversies,’ Tesla’s priority is to ship the Model 3 pre-orders, which is somewhere to the tune of 400,000 orders. They have managed to scale up the production, but are still running behind schedule. When asked about the base model’s production, Musk said shipping that right now would cause the company to “lose money and die.”

Coming back to these wheels, we think it’ll take longer than what Musk said. Given the vulnerable state Tesla is in, will the customers lash back at Tesla for this as well? That’s too far-fetched, but you never know! Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Tesla Model 3.

Read our full review on the 2017 Tesla Model X.

Read our full review on the 2017 Tesla Model S.

Check out everything we’ve got on Elon Musk

Read more Tesla news.