First glimpse at Tesla's first Model 3

Tesla has more than 370,000 pending reservations for a Model 3. Photo / Ted Baghurst

The public is getting its first look at Tesla's completed Model 3, more than a year after the electric car was first announced by chief executive Elon Musk.

On Sunday, Musk tweeted a couple of photos showing off the Model 3, a battery-powered vehicle priced for mainstream Tesla consumers.

First Production Model 3 pic.twitter.com/TCa2NSUNI3

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2017

pic.twitter.com/is6Hthjjoj

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2017

The images bear a strong resemblance to the car Musk first revealed in 2016. Although Musk said the first car would have gone to Ira Ehrenpreis, a venture capitalist who founded DBL Partners, Ehrenpreis "gave those rights to me as a 46th birthday present," Musk said on Twitter.

The highly anticipated vehicle is expected to be delivered to the first 30 people on Tesla's massive wait list later this month.

With more than 370,000 pending reservations for a Model 3, Tesla has its work cut out. Analysts believe the car could help jump-start the spread of pure-electric vehicles in the United States, but only if the company is successful at keeping its factory running at top speed. The company has been plagued by production issues in the past that have led to concerns about Tesla's ability to keep up with demand.

Musk has predicted that by December, Tesla will be finishing Model 3s at a rate of 20,000 per month.