You might be waiting several years for a Tesla Model 3 unless you order now

Tesla is planning to dramatically ramp up production to meet the strong demand for its first affordable car, the Model 3. 

However, that doesn't mean some customers won't have to wait for their car to be delivered.

During Tesla's first quarter earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk emphasized that people should order their Model 3 now if they wanted to receive it in two years. Otherwise, they could end up waiting a lot longer. 

"Now is actually a good time to place your reservation to order because you don't have to place your order and worry about receiving it five years from now. If you place your order now, there's a high probability you will actually receive your car in 2018," Musk said during the call. 

"I'd really recommend that anyone who wants to see their car in 2018 place their order very soon."

Musk took to Twitter on Thursday to reiterate that timeline. 

—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2016

The Model 3 is slated to go into production in late 2017. But Tesla has big plans to be producing 500,000 vehicles (including the Model 3, Model S, and Model X) per year by 2018. 

So assuming Tesla has about 400,000 orders for the Model 3 already, which is what Musk has hinted, then Musk's timeline for delivery makes sense. 

Long story short, if you've been putting off reserving a Model 3, you may want to go ahead and put down your $1,000 deposit so you don't end up waiting forever to get your car.