It’s beyond understanding. While the NV9 project, aimed at producing a Tesla smaller than current models and selling for around $25,000, would have indeed been stopped, Elon Musk would still have in mind to launch electric cars more accessible than the Model 3 and Model Y.
Thus, during the presentation of Tesla’s financial results for the first quarter of 2024, the emblematic boss of the brand clarified his product plan. If the car nicknamed Model 2 would have been canceled in its initially planned form, in favor of a Robotaxi version only, this would not call into question the upcoming production of more accessible Teslas. “We have updated our future vehicle lineup to accelerate the launch of new models before production begins in the second half of 2025, as we previously announced. We now believe it will be early 2025 instead, if It’s not until the end of this year.”explained Elon Musk.
Less revolutionary production, but also quicker to get started
To do this, Tesla’s next entry-level models would not use the new “unboxed” production method. “This review may result in less cost reduction than anticipated, but it allows us to cautiously increase our vehicle volumes in a more capital-efficient manner during this uncertain time.”explained Elon Musk, specifying that the next Robotaxi would benefit from this new assembly method.
Nothing more is known about Tesla’s next accessible models, which therefore seem to have been reimagined very recently. The previously communicated price of $25,000 may no longer be relevant, but if Elon Musk is to be believed, this would be for the benefit of shorter development times. These models could thus use “aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms, and can be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current range of vehicles”said Elon Musk.