Tesla mentioned immediately that it stays on observe to supply and launch “extra inexpensive fashions” within the first half of subsequent yr, nevertheless it shared no new particulars on once we may count on to listen to extra.
For a number of years now, Tesla has been teasing everybody with the promise of extra inexpensive fashions.
Whereas the Tesla Mannequin 3 is fairly moderately priced, many have been ready for a promised $25,000 mannequin, which many had taken to calling the “Mannequin 2.”
Tesla was supposedly going to pursue a brand new revolutionary “unboxed” manufacturing methodology to get prices down for the long run car, to allow this cheaper price.
Nevertheless, earlier this yr Tesla CEO Elon Musk refocused the corporate’s efforts on its recently-announced and a lot–delayed Robotaxi product and cancelled plans for a $25,000 car, as first reported by Reuters and denied by Musk. Reuters was later proven to be right in its report.
However even after that, Tesla has continued to state that it’s pursuing “extra inexpensive fashions,” with little extra element accessible.
In immediately’s earnings report, Tesla reiterated steering stating that it nonetheless plans a extra inexpensive mannequin within the coming months, however that it received’t be practically as revolutionary as initially deliberate.
Right here’s the passage:
Plans for brand new autos, together with extra inexpensive fashions, stay on observe for begin of manufacturing within the first half of 2025. These autos will make the most of elements of the subsequent technology platform in addition to elements of our present platforms and can be capable of be produced on the identical manufacturing strains as our present car line-up.
This method will lead to reaching much less value discount than beforehand anticipated however permits us to prudently develop our car volumes in a extra capex environment friendly method throughout unsure instances. This could assist us absolutely make the most of our present anticipated most capability of shut to a few million autos, enabling greater than 50% development over 2023 manufacturing earlier than investing in new manufacturing strains.
Our purpose-built Robotaxi product will proceed to pursue a revolutionary “unboxed” manufacturing technique.
This passage is definitely precisely the identical as what appeared in Tesla’s Q2 earnings, simply shifted ahead in time three months.
Elsewhere within the report, Tesla states that its “Subsequent Gen Platform” remains to be “In improvement,” for manufacturing in varied areas world wide. Tesla at present operates car manufacturing services in California, Texas, Shanghai and Berlin.
Electrek’s Take
If Tesla’s timeline is to be believed, this new mannequin is coming in lower than 8 months. Whereas it’s not inconceivable that an organization can develop a mannequin in secret and get it on the highway inside 8 months of the general public studying about it, we now have by no means seen a brand new Tesla mannequin go from introduction to manufacturing wherever close to that rapidly.
It’s rather more widespread for Tesla to maintain an enormous launch celebration after which launch the car to the general public a few years later (typically with large supply delays for sure specs or sure patrons).
Even refreshes often have information leaked months upfront. We’ve seen a refreshed Mannequin Y driving round with what seems to be like a extra Mannequin 3 highland-like entrance finish, and not too long ago heard rumors that the Mannequin Y refresh goes into trial manufacturing in Shanghai this week.
That refresh seemingly wouldn’t make it into the market till early subsequent yr, particularly in North America, if manufacturing is beginning in Shanghai first.
It’s virtually sufficient to make us marvel – is this the “extra inexpensive” mannequin that Tesla has been speaking about all this time? Only a refreshed Mannequin Y, maybe with course of enhancements that may allow Tesla to push the value down some?
In that case, that will be fairly disappointing. A refresh isn’t actually a brand new mannequin, and it’s unlikely to interrupt any new floor by way of turning into the lowest-priced Tesla ever (since we will’t think about they’d worth the Mannequin Y decrease than the Mannequin 3).
And in the event that they’re not speaking in regards to the refresh, and certainly are speaking about an precise new mannequin – that simply provides one other product to Tesla’s mind-numbingly-crowded “subsequent yr,” the place Musk has said that the corporate will change the world in 6 – depend ’em, six – methods.
We definitely hope a brand new cheaper mannequin is coming, particularly as Tesla’s choices (minus the polarizing Cybertruck) have develop into a little bit bit stale. It might assist drive extra EV adoption by reaching a brand new cheaper price level, might change perceptions of Tesla as a luxury-only car model, and will even usher in new clients for Mannequin 3/Y who had beforehand been turned off by that notion of Teslas as being “too costly” (regardless of, e.g., fairly enticing lease offers).
And specifically, it stays disappointing that Musk has chosen to deal with a pie-in-the-sky Robotaxi (which won’t be accessible “subsequent yr,” for the tenth-or-so yr he’s mentioned will probably be), and varied AI-buzzword nonsense, than what shoppers hold asking for – a less expensive EV mannequin. Reiteration that Tesla is engaged on one is nice, however we’ll stay unconvinced till Tesla shares extra particulars.
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