Hundreds of new Teslas bake in the Florida sun

These 2024 Tesla Model 3s are patiently waiting for new owners

Hundreds of Teslas parked in a weedy field may sound like something out of a doomsday movie, but it’s happening right now in the U.S. The seemingly abandoned electric cars were found near a Tesla service center in Tampa, Florida, and their VINs suggest they’re nearly new.

This parking lot may not be as crowded as China’s electric car graveyard, but it does look a bit deserted. Grass is growing around the vehicles, most of which are Tesla Model 3s updated for 2024. In the back, we can also see the pre-facelift Model 3 and quite a few Model Ys.

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The viral photo was shared by a user named Eric in a Reddit thread on Tesla Model 3. After looking up some VINs, the original poster discovered that the electric cars in the photo were produced in April and May 2024. Eric pointed out that most Tesla cars have “non-standard kit wheels and mixed color interiors,” adding that none of these cars are performance models.

Username Fixing Errors We contacted the local service center to learn about the mysterious Tesla parking lot and learned that it is overflow parking for new Model 3 inventory. The company reportedly ran out of space at its main facilities in Florida and Orlando, so an additional location was needed.

Eric/Reddit

Another Reddit user said, DachshundThe claim is that an old Sentry Mode video of the 2022 Model Y Tesla they purchased shows the vehicle parked in a similar grassy area before they purchased it. While it’s unclear how long these electric vehicles will remain in such a location before being delivered to their new owners, there are concerns about the hot Florida sun and the possibility of rodents hiding in the tall grass.

Judging by its growing inventory of unsold vehicles, Tesla may be facing the same challenge as many other automakers: slowing demand for electric vehicles.

After delivering a record 484,507 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2023, Tesla sold 386,810 vehicles in the first quarter of 2024 and 443,956 in the second quarter of 2024. However, experts believe that the automaker’s sales in the US market may decline, which brings uncertainty to its future prospects.

Last year, the Tesla Model Y SUV topped the list of the world’s best-selling cars with 1,223,000 units sold. The closely related Tesla Model 3 sedan ranked tenth with 508,000 units sold. Interestingly, these two cars were the only electric vehicles in the top ten.

Does anyone know what this is? There are hundreds of Model 3s parked in a weed-covered parking lot.
byu/LSDBunnos in Tesla Model 3