For the past year, much of Tesla Motors' focus has been on its Gigafactory. The facility will manufacture most of the company's car batteries, with the Tesla Model 3 being its first significant project. 

Tesla CEO, Elon Musk has recently confirmed that manufacture of the vehicle is going according to schedule, with the first production-level one set to roll off the factory floor at the end of this week, and the first batch of 30 Tesla Model 3s being delivered to their respective customers on 28 July. 

Handover party for first 30 customer Model 3's on the 28th! Production grows exponentially, so Aug should be 100 cars and Sept above 1500.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017

Detailing more of Tesla's production plans, Musk estimates that by the year's end, nearly 200 000 Model 3s will have been made. Furthermore, if everything goes as planned, Tesla aims to produce 500 000 annually during 2018. If that number seems ambitious, Tesla certainly has a high demand for its electric vehicles, with the company reporting an estimated 400 000 pre-orders for the Model 3 already. 

As for when South Africans can get their hands on the Model 3, little is known. Musk did mention in March last year, however, that other countries (including SA) are on the company's radar for expansion into. 

Adding several more countries to Model 3 order page tonight. Check for details, but will include India, Brazil, SA, SK, NZ, Sing & Ireland.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2016