Tesla is once again jacking up prices on its most popular electric cars, tacking on thousands of dollars as microchip shortages continue to spark production hiccups.
The electric carmaker helmed by Elon Musk has hiked prices of its Model 3, its least expensive model and the world’s best-selling plug-in car, by $3,000 so far this year — a more than 8-percent increase.
The standard Model 3 sedan was selling for $39,990 on Friday, up from $39,490 earlier this week and $36,990 in late February, according to archived versions of the company’s site.
The Model 3’s pricier “long range” model, meanwhile, was selling for $48,990 on Friday, also up $500 from earlier in the week and $3,000 since February.
The automaker could raise its prices by an additional 3 to 5 percent this year, Dan Ives, managing director and tech analyst at Wedbush Securities, told The Post.
“Because of chip shortage as well as production issues, Tesla now is really starting to see more surge of demand and that’s resulted in price increases rather than decreases,” Ives said. “Tesla continues to be in a massive position of strength.”
This week, Tesla did not increase the price of its most expensive Model 3, the “performance” edition, but has raised its price by $1,000 since February.
The California-based company, which is currently under scrutiny from its home state’s Department of Motor Vehicles over claims that its vehicles are “self-driving,” did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Model 3 is not the only Tesla that has seen a price increase.
The automaker’s larger sedan, the Model Y, cost $51,990 on Friday — up from $51,490 earlier this week and $48,990 in February.
Tesla’s new, higher-end Model S, meanwhile, appears to have not changed in price this year, still starting at $79,990.
The electric automaker delivered 184,800 vehicles in the first quarter of 2021, beating analyst expectations. Over the same period of time, revenue rose to $10.39 billion from $5.99 billion a year earlier, the company said in an April earnings report.