Is Tesla the new Apple, like all the smoking hot takes claim? If lines to get new products are any indication, maybe so. Meet Andreas Stephens of Australia. By tomorrow morning, he will have been in line for 48 hours to put his name down to reserve a Tesla Model 3 sedan.
According to Australia’s EFTM, Stephens is the first reported person to be waiting in line for Tesla’s new $35,000 (before incentives!) electric sport sedan, which will be unveiled to the world tomorrow night at an event in California.
In the meantime, Stephens is waiting for his Tesla store to open at 8 a.m. Australian time Thursday to get his $1,500 reservation in.
Right now, Stephens owns a Corolla, so the Model 3 will almost certainly be a step up—and he has to build a garage first to house the car anyway. Clearly, this guy is all about the long game.
Stephens won’t be the first Australian owner of a Model 3, because priority goes to existing Model S customers, but he will get a good story out of thos. Also, EFTM seems like a cool publication, because they brought the dude a battery pack for his phone and an umbrella.
Since that story ran, it turns out Stephens isn’t alone. Electrek reports that people are now lining up outside Tesla stores in Montreal, Vancouver, Boston, Melbourne and more cities.
You people are nuts! But I admire your dedication. Shame you can’t drive away with the Model 3 the same day, like the iPhone people do. But making a car is a little harder than making a smartphone, despite what Silicon Valley would have everyone think.