US electric vehicle specialist Tesla has announced the Model S sedan and Model X SUV will reach the end of the line by the middle of 2026, killing its long-running and revolutionary EVs.
During the company’s quarterly earnings call this morning, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced “it’s time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge, because we’re really moving into a future that is based on autonomy”.
Both the Model S and Model X will end production by the conclusion of the second quarter of the year (April to June), having been built at Tesla’s Fremont factory in California since 2012 and 2015, respectively.
The Model S was one of the world’s first mass produced and purchased EVs, and it was long the best-seller in the market before its smaller Model 3 replacement came along.
Most notably the Model S saw Tesla launch its ‘Plaid’ high-performance variant in 2021 following a facelift, becoming the brand’s fastest model and one of the quickest EVs in the world.
The Model X was launched later and shared the majority of its critical components with the Model S, though its unique ‘falcon’ doors set it apart from most SUVs on the market.
Both EVs were sold in Australia until they received facelifts in 2021, at which point Tesla stopped producing the Model S and Model X in right-hand-drive.
While they were once two of the most popular EVs on the market, the launch of the Model 3 and Model Y as the brand’s bread and butter vehicles has seen production of the Model S and Model X dip in recent years.
Last year, Tesla delivered 1,636,129 EVs globally, 1,585,279 of which were the Model 3 and Model Y, while the Model S, Model X, Cybertruck and Semi combined for just 50,850 of that overall figure.
By contrast, in 2018 it delivered 99,394 Model S and Xs, though at this time the Model 3 had already overtaken both with 145,846 deliveries.
Now, Tesla’s Fremont factory will pivot towards building the Optimus humanoid robots which will spearhead the brand’s transition to being a robotics and autonomy company.
Production of the Optimus robots is due to start before the end of the year before being due to go on sale in 2027. Musk has claimed the Fremont facility could eventually build more than one million units annually.
Tesla will keep the Model Y – one of the world’s best-selling vehicles – and the Model 3 on sale for as long as it can, alongside the Cybertruck and Semi.
There’s no word yet on whether the long-awaited and hyped Roadster will arrive, nor any updates on the rollout of Tesla’s Cybercab robotaxi service.
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