Whatever happened to that $35,000 Tesla Model 3 you still can’t buy?

As tax credits threaten to run out and more powerful and expensive versions launch, buyers are still waiting

This week saw Tesla's enigmatic chief executive Elon Musk take to Twitter to announce two more powerful, and more expensive, versions of the auto firm's Model 3 - the much lauded "mass market" vehicle that appears, for now, to be veering further and further away from its $35,000 price tag.

The new dual-motor Model 3 and its souped-up range-topping "performance" version, which costs $78,000 and, as Musk claims, will be 15% quicker than German rival BMW's $66,500 (59,905 in the UK) M3, are not unexpected. Tesla did a similar thing with its Model S, launching dual-motor and performance versions with ever more dizzying price tags.