Tesla Model 2 imagined with Roadster, New Model 3 styling

Now that we can be reasonably sure the updated Model 3 will get Roadster-inspired headlights, could the upcoming Model 2 do the same?

The new-look Model 3 appeared online last week, and as long as it isn't proven to be a hoax, it seems we now know what to expect from Tesla's midsize sedan when it's updated in the coming months.

Of course, that got us to thinking the promised sub-3 compact, likely to be called Model 2, will share more than a few key styling elements.

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Speculative Tesla Model 2 rendering | Wheels Media

Our renderings here show the Model 2 as a hatchback, and we wouldn't be surprised to see a small SUV version – perhaps the Model Z – join it later, given the global obsession with high-riding models.

Continuing the themes established with the new Roadster (if it ever launches) and the facelifted Model 3, we've given the Model 2 a sharp and slender headlight design.

The profile is much the same as the current Model 3 and Model Y, while the rear shows a speculative new tail lamp design linked by the increasingly trendy LED lightbar through the centre.

Mike Stevens

What do you think of this look? Tell us in the comments below!

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Is this image, shown during a recent shareholder call, our first look at the Model 2? Musk's comments during the call suggest it is.

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Speculative Tesla Model 2 rendering | Wheels Media

April 2023: Could the Model 2 look like this?

Based on what we've seen of the updated Model 3, we wonder if the upcoming Model 2 will look like this...

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February 2023: Why is this CX-30 dressed in Tesla bits?

It’s no secret that Tesla is developing an entry-level electric vehicle to sit below the Model 3 and Model Y in terms of cost and size.

A Tesla investor day is to be held on March 2, where it is anticipated the EV specialist will detail its new affordable small car architecture. Expected to be known as the Model 2 and priced between $40-50K, the new Tesla model will likely compete with BYD Atto 3 and GWM Ora in the entry-level EV space.

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Image courtesy of Autospy.net, click any image to see the full gallery

These images from spy shot specialist Autospy reveal a small SUV – likely the Model 2 – test mule being loaded onto the back of a trailer.

At first glance, the Zebra camo, body cladding, and rear end look entirely Mazda CX-30. Even the C-Pillar’s chrome garnish appears to be lifted directly from the Mazda’s popular small SUV, but there are tell-tale Tesla signs.

For a start, the head and tail-lights are signature Tesla items that appear to be taken from the Model Y, as are the sizeable alloy wheels – they look like 19-inch items – hiding red brake calipers with Tesla script.

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Image courtesy of Autospy.net, click any image to see the full gallery

Okay, so will the real Model 2 please stand up?

Details on the real Model 2 are still thin on the ground, but we can likely expect it to measure around 4.35-4.4-metres long, with a height of about 1.8m – somewhere between a traditional small car and a small SUV.

There will likely be several powertrain variants. Expect a price-leader single motor with a standard battery pack to offer 350 kilometres of driving range and a more expensive larger battery with 450-500km driving range.

Tesla may also offer a dual-motor performance version, as it does with Model 3 and Model Y, though all is yet to be revealed.

Exact details of this small hatch/SUV mule may emerge next month. A significant update to Tesla’s Model 3 sedan is also expected this year, and the Cybertruck remains a possibility.