Tesla Model 3 Highland goes testing on the Autobahn in first spotting outside US and China

The mid-cycle Model 3 refresh, dubbed Project Highland, has apparently been caught testing outside of China or the US for the first time. Tesla's Gigafactory in Shanghai is reportedly ramping up its production right now with the goal to make 10,000 in September when Model 3 Highland will allegedly start shipping to customers.

Tesla's factory in Fremont is likely to be the next in line for the facelift production schedule, as the Model 3 Highland has been spotted in test drives around California numerous times already. For the first time, however, it has been caught as a camouflaged test mule in Europe, and on the A4 Autobahn in Germany at that, reportedly near Lichtenau.

That's quite a hike from the Gigafactory in Berlin, but could be an indication that Tesla will also assemble the Highland for the European market there, instead of shipping them in from China. The Model 3 Highland in the picture, complete with its new separate stop lights and amber blinkers, has its local license plate already, the same way Tesla is testing the Cybertruck with Texas plates on this side of the pond, in preparation for the imminent launch.

Both the Cybertruck and Tesla Model 3 Highland are expected to be released in the second half of September and start shipping to their first buyers, albeit in fairly limited quantities.

The Model 3 is expected to come with both a new, more aggressive and sleek exterior that will resemble that of the Model S, as well as a more comfortable interior with vented seats. Tesla is also prepping a number of under-the-hood upgrades like a larger 66 kWh M3P battery, and a Hardware 4.0 set consisting of an FSD computer, plus new cameras and sensors.

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