Tesla has unexpectedly removed the Model 3 from the referral program in Canada. The change is so far only applicable in Canada, and the reason behind the change is unclear.
Tesla relaunched their revamped referral program in Canada back in late August, giving owners the opportunity to earn cash rewards for referring someone to purchase a Tesla. The benefits aren’t only for the existing owner, as the buyer also got a C$1,300 discount off their purchase in return.
At the time the program launched, all four Tesla models were eligible to earn rewards from, with the same reward and same discount applied to each model.
However, that changed on Wednesday night, when Tesla quietly updated their referral program to exclude the Model 3 in Canada. According to the referral landing page, existing owners and buyers can now only earn referral awards on the Model S, Model X, and Model Y.
The removal of the Model 3 from the referral program has so far only taken place in Canada. In the US and international markets where the referral program is available, all four models continue to be eligible for referral rewards.
Tesla has not officially commented on the change, so the reason behind it is unclear, leaving us to speculate on possible reasons.
One could be that Tesla is soon going to be launching an incentive for the Model 3 in Canada, possible a low interest rate, and doesn’t want to have both applicable to the Model 3. This seems unlikely however as Tesla has not removed the Model 3 or the Model Y from the referral program in any markets where it has launched low interest rate offers, including in Canada last month when the Model Y could be purchased with a 1.99% interest rate.
Another possible reason is that the Model 3 is selling too well in Canada, and so to try and suppress sales, they removed it from the referral program. Again this is unlikely as Tesla has not done this before, and the number of Model 3s that were sold with a referral link compared to the overall number of Model 3 sales in Canada is likely relatively low. Tesla also sells more Model Y than Model 3, so if this was the reason, it wouldn’t be the Model 3 being removed.
Why do you think Tesla removed the Model 3 from the referral program in Canada? Let us know in the comments below.
