Model 3

Make
Tesla
Segment
Sedan

If you've been wondering how many electric vehicles Tesla can fit into its lineup, you're not alone. And the answer would perpetually seem to be "at least one more."

Beyond its four core models, Tesla has in recent years revealed plans to make a new Roadster, the Semi, the Cybertruck, and an electric quad bike to go with the latter. Now it seems to be preparing to roll out yet another new model, this time slotting in below the Model 3 and Model Y at the entry level of its product lineup.

This rendering currently circulating the interwebs shows what would appear to be a new electric hatchback, ostensibly targeted at the likes of the Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, and the new Volkswagen ID.3 - the electric hatchback the Germans are building for markets (sadly) other than ours. The image purportedly comes from an official document released by the company regarding a new design and engineering facility that Tesla recently announced it plans to build in China. That in and of itself would suggest that the unnamed new model, were it to be built, might be designed specifically for the Chinese market.

However we'd note that Tesla is not (or at least has not historically been) in the habit of producing vehicles for other markets that it doesn't offer in the United States where it's based. Then again, Elon Musk has made a name for himself by challenging convention and breaking the proverbial rules, so we wouldn't discount that or most any other possibility.

Nor would we count the emergence of this image, for that matter, as a foregone conclusion that such a vehicle will actually be built. But given the growing diversity of Tesla's model line, going down-market with an even more affordable offering than the Model 3 would only make sense.