Tesla Model 3 Power Seats, Key Card, Door Handles, Rear Seat Photo

Tesla Model 3 Power Seats, Key Card, Door Handles, more

Jul 21, 2017 | by Iqtidar Ali

Every day closer the final unveil of Tesla Model 3 we get new surprises and pieces of information. Probably the most anticipated car of the 21st century yet it has been chased like a celebrity by reservation holders, Tesla fans and enthusiasts and don’t let go a chance of clicking some photos or recording a video.

Today Tudor Melville got a chance to capture (video below) previously unseen options like the Power Seats and Key Card when Tesla’s Sr. VP of Engineering Doug Field entered a Gray/Midnight Silver Model 3 with VIN #3.

Before entering the car which he seemingly opened remotely he pressed the buttons on the left-side of the driver’s seat to adjust it to his convenience. Also after settling in the car Doug adjusted the seat settings again by pressing the buttons on the side.

The power seats option is discovered for the first time and has not been announced previously by Tesla even in the Model S vs Model 3 comparison chart. Let’s look at the video:

Latest on Model 3: Latest software update adds ‘heated back seats’, increased ‘auto-emergency braking’ limit, unlock car with phone-key

Also if you notice closely Doug has a key card in his hand that he puts into the cup holder after sitting in the car.

Coincidentally Model 3 Owners Club leaked a photo through their Twitter account of the Model 3 Key Card earlier today (pic below) and predicted that there will not be a key fob for the 3 but a key card, now almost have the proof of that.

Later comments in the above tweet and some research reveal that Renault has been using these kind of cards since a long time (photo below) maybe for a couple of decades.

Since Tesla’s comparison of Model S and Model 3 states that the Model 3 will have a Manual Trunk it’s highly unlikely that a remote trunk open button will be available on the key card.

A key card for cars with multi function buttons.
This is how a key card generally looks with multi function buttons - Click/Tap to zoom-in, photo by: DHgate.com

Another video (below) captured by Tudor of the same vehicle when it was parked shows the VIN #3 and probably is the 3rd production Tesla Model 3 and is probably going to Doug Field himself. Remember the first production Model 3 went to Elon Musk as a birthday gift by Ira Ehrenpreis who got the #2 instead.

We can see how the door handles of the Tesla Model 3 work by pressing one side of the handle to pop the other side and grabbing the popped side to open the doors. The major difference of door handles with the premium Model S ones is that they are ‘Auto presenting‘.

Among other things we have one more leaked photo (below) by Model 3 Owners Club that shows clear picture of the rear seat showing ample leg room for the rear seat passengers. Also another thing to notice is that the ‘Black Interior’ of the Model 3 that will be standard and not customize-able for at least initial owners (several thousands).

Interior customization options might open up next year in Tesla Design Studio for Model 3 next year when production ramp up has gained enough acceleration and the automaker has converted significant number of $1,000 reservations to a steady stream of revenue.

Tesla Model 3 Rear Seats Clear Picture
Tesla Model 3 Rear Seats Clear Picture - photo by Model 3 Owners Club

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Iqtidar Ali
[email protected]

Iqtidar Ali is a long time web developer and now writing for his childhood passion 'cars' further boosted by the advent of electric vehicles especially Tesla.


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2 Comments
  • X Auto
    Posted at 09:41h, 22 July Reply

    Power Seats, at least for the driver ! Key Card instead of Key Fob !!! hmmm,,,,,

  • TedKidd
    Posted at 13:48h, 22 July Reply

    Yes! Rear seat armrest!

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