You can now lease the Tesla Model 3, but don't expect to buy it in the end

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Tesla is making it possible to lease the Model 3 electric sedan for the first time while also making it harder to buy the much-hyped $35,000 base version of the vehicle. The automaker announced late Thursday that it would begin leasing the Model 3 "for a small down payment and competitive monthly payments." It's not the same as a standard auto industry lease, which typically gives leasees the option to purchase the vehicle when the lease expires. "Please note, customers who choose leasing over owning will not have the option to purchase their car at the end of the lease, because with full autonomy coming in the future via an over-the-air software update, we plan to use those vehicles in the Tesla ride-hailing network," Tesla said in a blog post.