This recent InsideEVs article posed an interesting question, “What Does the Tesla Model 3 Have in Common With a Cheap Toyota Etios?”
According to InsideEVs, apart from the combustion engine and the motors, the Model 3 differs essentially from the Etios. While the latter was meant to be affordable, the Tesla is seen as a luxury car sedan, facing the likes of BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
So how are they similar?
According to InsideEVs, they both get no paint in some areas because nobody can see it. Like the Etios, the Model 3 has only been fully painted where Tesla decided to do so.
InsideEVs reached out to Munro & Associates’ Al Steier, director of the benchmarking innovation center, for some Model 3 paint insight.
According to Steier, “We borrowed a coatings thickness instrument and took readings in various parts of the car including the strut tower for you. For your information, there is one slide where we captured the rear quarter panel. Looking at the picture, it is hard to tell as there was a lot of background reflections in it.”
You can check out Steier’s slides – which reveal the exact points in the body that lack a base coat – in the following gallery: https://insideevs.com/photo/4481339/see-the-munro-associates-measurements-of-the-tesla-model-3-paint-thickness/