In this June 24, 2017 file photo, a Telsa Model 3 car recharges at a Tesla charging station at Cochran Commons shopping center in Charlotte, N.C. AP
DETROIT — Tesla is cutting $1,100 from the base price of its car designed for the mass market, the Model 3.
The electric car company now says on its website that the car starts at $42,900, still a ways from its goal of lowering the base price to $35,000.
Tesla cut 7 percent of its workforce last month to trim costs and reduce the price of the car. CEO Elon Musk says the Model 3 must be competitive with gasoline-fueled cars for the company to succeed.
For $42,900 buyers will get a rear-wheel-drive Model 3 in black with Tesla’s lower-range battery that goes 264 miles per charge.
The price doesn’t include federal and state tax credits. The federal credit is now $3,750, but that expires at the end of the year. /ee