Comment When I set off for IAA Munich earlier this week, I started my journey in one of my least favorite places: the back seat of a Tesla Model 3. Don’t get me wrong—I actually love driving the Model 3, and by that, I mean actually driving it, not just letting Autopilot have all the fun. But a trip to the airport in a ride-hailed Model 3 helped me remember why those rear seats have never been up for any awards 38 Even a few days into the public portion of the show in Munich, the sedan once codenamed “ Highland ” consistently drew flocks of awe-struck civilians and employees of competing automakers alike. A Tesla rep told me they’d been overwhelmed by people from all over the world queuing up to see the car. Frankly, I’ve never seen this much hype around what’s basically a facelift for a six-year-old sedan. Then again, this is Tesla we’re talking about – the most scrutinized yet inscrutable automaker on Earth, and the one that does the unexpected as standard operating procedure. What was truly unexpected was that the new Model 3 was there at all. Tesla famously eschews advertising, and it also hasn’t had a presence at most auto shows in several years. Seeing Teslas at an event like this, with an actual communications team and marketing folks walking around and talking to people in white Tesla-branded button-down shirts, was a bizarre sight to behold. The last time I saw Tesla like this in America was sometime in the middle of the last decade; it has since dissolved its communications operation and most outreach events other automakers go big for, but it’s certainly done just fine selling cars without going to these things. But times change. Maybe Elon Musk, who’s desperately trying to woo advertisers back to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter