【Japan】

North American buyers looking for a mid-sized electric sedan donning a "T" sign,Japan rejoice: Tesla has opened up orders for its Model 3 electric car for everyone in the U.S. and Canada.

Until now, buyers had to cash out a $1,000 fee to reserve their spot in line for the Model 3, but — as reported by Electrek— they can now go ahead to Tesla's website and order the car without a reservation.

Buyers can currently only order three variants of the car: the $49,000 rear-wheel drive version, the $53,000 dual-motor all-wheel drive version (both of which include a long-range battery and premium interior trim), and the $64,000 Performance version of the latter.

The standard range battery variant, which will start at $35,000, will be available in "6-9 months," according to Tesla's website. That's bad if you're in the market for an "affordable" electric sedan but you can take some comfort in the fact that that version of the car isn't yet shipping to people who have placed a reservation, either.

And if you're one of the folks who have been waiting for your Model 3 for a year or more, don't worry -- Electrek's sources say Tesla will still prioritize reservations over new orders.

The news comes shortly after Tesla finally hit its goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 cars per week. Ramping up the Model 3 production to desirable levels has been a huge challenge for Tesla, but now that it's finally happened, the company is making it easier to buy the car, as well as modestly ramping up marketing efforts. Hopefully that won't make the wait even longer for buyers.