Is a Tesla Model 2 back on the cards after all?
Tesla claims ‘more affordable’ models are coming
Tesla says it plans to put new “affordable” vehicles into production during the first half of 2025.
The statement came as part of the electric car company’s third quarter earnings report this week, and suggests there’s a chance we’ll see new vehicles in a matter of months. But, as ever with Tesla, any timeline promises should be taken with a pinch of salt, as it is famous for missing its own deadlines.
Coming hot on the heels of the CyberCab concept revealed earlier in October, the earnings report statement said: “Preparations remain underway for our offering of new vehicles – including more affordable models – which we will begin launching in the first half of 2025.”
It is unclear if this refers to the autonomous taxi concept, which Elon Musk claimed will eventually cost under $30,000, or the long-awaited Model 2. Although supposedly canned by Tesla in favour of the driverless taxi, the so-called Model 2 was a low-cost electric car expected to be smaller and cheaper than the Model 3, which currently starts at £39,990 in the UK.
Reiterating its desire to bring down the cost of electric motoring, Tesla also said: “In order to continue accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy, we need to make EVs affordable for everyone, including making total cost of ownership per mile competitive with all forms of transportation.”
The earnings report also referenced the “introduction of new products, including those built on our next generation vehicle platform.” It then stated again how new vehicles, “including more affordable models,” remain on track to go into production in the first half of 2025. These, Tesla said, “will utilise aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be able to be produced on the same manufacturing line as our current vehicle line-up.”
What isn’t clear is whether this refers to all-new Tesla models – such as cars called the Model 2 and Model 4, for example – or if it means Tesla will introduce updated versions of its currency lineup, but built on a new, lower-cost platform.