Peter Lyon
February 1, 2025
Following its first yearly drop in sales since rocketing to the electric vehicle world leader, Tesla is about to introduce a line of “more affordable models” in an effort to increase its appeal.
Compared to 2023 numbers, when it sold 1.81 million cars, the brand had to settle for 1.79 million last year. When compared to these figures, the new vehicles are expected to increase Tesla’s yearly production by over 60%, reaching almost 3 million vehicles.
Let’s just break down the release from Tesla last week. It said, “plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for the start of production in the first half of 2025. These vehicles will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle lineup.”
Could Tesla Be Referring To Revised Model 3 And Y?
So what are they talking about? Given that Tesla has a history of showcasing brand-new cars years before they go into production, the fact that the company has not yet revealed the new cars further suggests that they are talking about variations of the Model 3 and Model Y. For instance, delivery of the Cybertruck didn’t start until November 2023, despite its 2019 unveiling.
The new vehicles will go into production in the first half of 2025, according to the firm.
In addition to the new architecture that the company described last summer, they will make use of “aspects” of the current Model 3 and Model Y platforms. Additionally, they will be produced on the same assembly lines as Tesla’s current models, suggesting that they are an improvement on rather than a completely new model.
Following months of back-and-forth confirmations and denials by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the announcement provides clarity.
When Reuters announced in April of last year that the long-discussed “Model 2” had been shelved, Musk responded on social media that “Reuters is lying again.”
However, Musk stated: “When we talk about a $25,000 electric car, it wouldn’t make much sense to think about a model other than the Cybercab” during the October unveiling of the Cybercab, a completely autonomous two-seater.
They might instead be priced at about $37,000, which is significantly less than the $50,000 Model 3, in order to compete with Chinese companies like BYD and Xpeng, as well as Nio’s new Onvo and Firefly spin-offs.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Tesla is in the process of bringing more affordable models to their lineup—that’s for sure. But given their somewhat flexible track record regarding actual launches, it’s tough to read exactly when these models will surface. Also, it’s still early days, and we are not sure what will happen with tariffs and Chinese EVs entering the US and even Europe (given that the EU has already imposed tariffs on the Chinese), but it will be intriguing to see how Musk’s company deals with the huge wave of ‘affordable’ EVs in the wings, just waiting for the right moment to make their move.
