LOS ANGELES, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Outside Tesla's Fremont, California factory, Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed off Friday the long-awaited Tesla Model 3 and handed over the keys of the new electric car to their first 30 purchasers.
A red Tesla Model 3 driven by Musk rolls up a ramp, video from the scene showed.
Friday marks a significant moment in Tesla's plan to help save the environment.
"That's what this day means. I'm confident it'll be the best car in its class, gasoline or not, hands down," Musk said.
Prior to Friday's Model 3 handover event, Musk said that the company will face manufacturing challenges as Tesla's Model 3 ramps up to an expected 500,000 in yearly production next year, according to local media reports.
"We're going to go through at least six months of production hell," he said.
In several Twitter posts earlier this month, Musk said the California-based company will produce 100 cars in August and more than 1,500 in September. It looks like "we can reach 20,000 Model 3 cars per month in December," Musk said.
Tesla Model 3 is a major step for the California-based company, and will be priced around 35,000 U.S. dollars each. It "achieves 215 miles (346 km) of range per charge" and is "designed to attain the highest safety ratings in every category."
