Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company will discontinue the Model S sedan and Model X crossover this Spring as it shifts emphasis to robotics.
The S and X are the larger “luxury” models in Tesla’s four-model lineup and have been upstaged in recent years by the smaller and less-expensive Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover.
The Model S, Tesla’s first mass production EV (the original Lotus-based Tesla Roadster was a limited production model) was introduced in 2013, the X in 2015. Despite numerous software upgrades and some mild exterior updates, both are getting quite long in the tooth.
All-in on Autonomy
Tesla plans to convert the space at its Fremont, Calif., plant now devoted to the Model S and Model Y into a production facility for its Optimus humanoid robots.
“It’s part of our overall shift to an autonomous future,” Musk told investors during a Jan. 28 phone conference.
While Musk didn’t address plans for the Model 3 and Model Y directly – or for the Cybertruck – he said Tesla is “moving into a future that is based on autonomy” and that the “only vehicles that we’ll make will be autonomous vehicles, with the exception of the next generation Roadster.”
A Decade in the Making
That “next generation” Roadster, first shown in 2017, is now scheduled to go into production in mid-to-late 2027 after a decade of delay.
Tesla has said the new Roadster – a production demo unveiling is scheduled for April 1 (is it just a coincidence that’s April Fools Day?) – is being positioned as an electric hypercar with a 0-60 mph time under 2 seconds, a top speed exceeding 250 mph, and a 620-mile range. The company says it has undergone numerous changes in the past decade and the model that goes into production won’t be the same as was shown in 2017.
Price tag? Expect it to start at around $200,000 and top $250,000 with all the bells and whistles.
Tesla’s second-generation Roadster as unveiled in 2017/Tesla