A new Tesla model is coming, but it won't be an ultra-luxury car that costs more than two years' salary Instead, Tesla will unveil a new low-priced hatchback that will better compete in the growing low-priced EV market

While there is still much we don't know about this car, Tesla has told us enough to make some pretty rough predictions Here is what we know so far about the Tesla hatchback

Elon Musk has confirmed that the car will be priced at $25,000 It is unclear if that is the full purchase price or if it includes the "potential savings" discount that Tesla is touting, presumably including federal subsidies and gas savings

The Tesla hatchback is currently scheduled to go on sale in 2023, assuming there are no delays, which is typical for new Tesla cars Given that both the Roadster and Cybertruck have been delayed to 2023, one cannot expect that the hatchback may also suffer a delay as a result

However, the car will likely be built at Tesla's new Shanghai Gigafactory It is also home to a new R&D center working on the Tesla hatchback, which was completed earlier this year In other words, we expect production to get off the ground

We know very little about the Tesla Hatchback's performance at this time, as Tesla has not revealed anything about the motor However, given the car's price tag and presumed size, it is likely to have only one electric motor, although it is unclear whether it will be front- or rear-wheel drive

Rear-wheel drive seems likely, as Tesla has yet to produce a front-wheel drive vehicle

There are few confirmed details regarding range Nevertheless, Elon Musk has previously stated that he stopped selling the standard range Tesla Model Y last July because it had a range of only 244 miles Clearly, Musk believes that anything less than 250 miles is "unacceptably low"

Therefore, unless there is a major change in Tesla's philosophy over the past year, the range of the Tesla hatchback is expected to be at least 250 miles

While we do not know how much battery capacity to expect, Tesla has already revealed that the hatchback's battery will use a tabless design and promises to be 35% smaller than a conventional EV battery Apparently this will not only make the battery cheaper to produce, but also safer and more powerful

According to Tesla, the battery will be six times more powerful and provide five times more energy in the same space According to Tesla, the battery is five times more powerful and provides five times more energy in the same space

The battery also underpins the hatchback, helping to reduce the overall weight of the car Coupled with the small, lightweight design, Tesla claims this will increase the hatchback's range by an additional 14%

There is no word on the expected charging speeds for the car, although it will no doubt be compatible with Tesla's Supercharger network We would be very surprised if it does not have the same 250 kW maximum as other Teslas

We have not seen any design specifications or illustrations of the Tesla hatchback, which we suspect is intentional Nevertheless, the hatchback is a very specific design, and I would expect to see some sort of Tesla-ized car that is a mixture of the Tesla Model Y and something like the Nissan Leaf or the VW ID3

It is also reasonable to assume that most of the traditional Tesla features will be available in the new hatchback, including the company's infotainment system and access to the Supercharger network

What we do know for sure is that the car will have some form of autopilot, as Elon Musk has promised "fully autonomous driving" "We seriously doubt that Tesla will have Level 5 autonomy At Level 5, the car does all the work and does not need an attentive human in the driver's seat

Our guess is that Tesla's "fully automated" Autopilot will be available, allowing the car to navigate itself on the highway and possibly even in the city However, there must be an attentive human in the driver's seat, ready to take over immediately

Tesla has not announced a name for the new hatchback, and some outlets are calling it the "Model 2" - perhaps because it is smaller and cheaper than Tesla's current entry-level vehicle, the Model 3

However, Elon Musk has already refuted that point, and the possibility of this car being called the Model 2 has disappeared If Tesla had stuck to its previous naming conventions for its cars, that possibility was not particularly likely Elon Musk went to the trouble of naming it Model S through Y because the letters spell the word "sexy"

Or Tesla would have done so had Ford not owned the rights to the name "Model E"

But where does Elon Musk's rather childish Tesla naming trend go from here? Sexy is a complete word by itself, meaning that the letters hatchback must begin to spell a whole new word

That is assuming Tesla chooses to do so and does not follow the example of the Tesla Roadster and give the hatchback a more conventional name However, "Tesla Hatchback" does not sound like "Model H"

While there are still many unknowns with the Tesla Hatchback, it appears that Tesla is trying to offer the same "Tesla Experience" in a cheaper, smaller car than its current lineup This is a good thing, as it means that many of Tesla's competitors will follow suit and launch lower-priced, high-range electric vehicles

Of course, we will have to wait and see what happens and whether this car actually arrives in 2023 As with many of Tesla's previous models, it is good to think about what could happen if this car is only delayed But we have high hopes and are optimistic that Tesla will be able to complete this car successfully