Frequent Tesla Model 3 Highland sightings in the US hint that release date nears

The Tesla Model 3 Highland may be nearing its rumored January release date in the US, as there have been numerous sightings in parking garages and on the highway, while Tesla isn't even trying to conceal the overhauled bumpers with wraps anymore.

Allegedly, the US launch of the Model 3 Highland will come a quarter after the rest of the world got it since, compared to the units done for Europe or China, it will be able to perform its Full Self-Driving Beta duties with upgraded Hardware 4.0 kit, so Tesla needs to do more probing in the US, including crash tests. The full autonomous driving set inherent to the Cybertruck, however, may not be present on the Highland, even on the US model.

Tesla seems to have also eschewed the front bumper camera that the Cybertruck has. After seeing it on a few prototypes, the regulation models spotted in the US had none. The Cybertruck's bumper camera is only for parking and off-road duties, though, so Tesla may have decided that the low-sitting Highland wouldn't need one.

In any case, those Model 3 Highland units that are proliferating in the US aren't what the American Tesla fans will be getting. They seem to be Giga Shanghai-made units imported for testing purposes and driven with company plates, just equipped with regulation headlights, so there is still some mystery as to what will Tesla ultimately reveal when the Model 3 Highland release date hits the tape.

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