Ahead of its earnings call today, Tesla Motors has announced that it will show its Model 3 — a critical, mass-market vehicle far cheaper than the Model S and X that it sells currently — on March 31st, just a few weeks away.

This isn't an actual release, though: that's still many months away, with production and first deliveries coming in 2017. CEO Elon Musk had previously said that the Model 3 would be shown in March of this year, so now we're tracking for a specific date. (Of course, the 31st is about as far as you can go in the month of March without slipping beyond the target.)

The Model 3 is expected to cost no more than $35,000 before tax incentives and have decent, Model S-like range. If everything goes according to plan, 2017 is shaping up to be the year of the practical EV: in addition to the Model 3, GM will be making the first deliveries of its 200-mile Chevy Bolt later this year; despite low gas prices, other automakers are expected to follow.

Verge Video: Hands-on with the Tesla Model X