Once considered the pinnacle of electric vehicles, these two models have now become merely a sidebar in automotive history.
- Tesla has stopped accepting new orders for the Model S and Model X in China.
- Despite higher import duties and underwhelming sales figures, these two electric vehicles will continue to be available in the United States.
Tesla
ceased accepting requests for new
Model S
and
Model X
Vehicles from an American electric car manufacturer were removed from sale in China recently, signaling another move towards the discontinuation of these two models. Although the company did not make an official announcement, updates to their Chinese website late last week eliminated the option for ordering them, which was noticed by observers.
Bloomberg
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Potential buyers can still purchase an existing Model S or Model X directly from stock, but due to increased duties on electric vehicles manufactured in the U.S. and then exported to China, along with restricted sales numbers, Tesla has stopped delivering recently produced versions of these top-tier models.
China leads as the biggest electric vehicle market globally, yet it remains highly competitive for foreign carmakers who struggle to meet Chinese consumers’ demands. This explains why, despite manufacturing the Model 3 and Model Y locally at their facility in Shanghai, Western automakers continue to face challenges.
Tesla has been forced to implement significant discounts to rival the major competitor BYD.
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Regarding the Model S and Model X, which are exclusively manufactured in Fremont, California, this recent development further suggests that their former glory days have passed. In the previous year, Tesla managed to sell less than 2,000 units combined of these two models in China. This pales in comparison to the sales figures for the Model 3 and Model Y, totaling more than 660,000 units as reported by China’s Automotive Technology and Research Center.
The situation is quite comparable across the globe as well. Even though Tesla does not release separate sales data for the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck, it’s evident that these models lag significantly behind when compared to the sales numbers of the Model 3 and Model Y. In 2024, the U.S.-based electric vehicle manufacturer distributed just above 85,000 units combined from those three mentioned categories labeled as ”
Other Models
“category” within their official report, while both the Model 3 and Model Y achieved a global delivery total of 1.7 million units.
The most recent major update for both the Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S occurred in 2021.
The Tesla Model S made its debut in 2012 and has undergone multiple enhancements since then, with the most recent updates.
A significant update was implemented in 2021.
Even with its updated appearance and technology, this vehicle is becoming somewhat outdated, and its hefty $80,000 base price isn’t helping matters. Similarly, the Model X commands an even higher cost.
Over time, the two premium models have been phased out in various regions, with some of these markets being the initial ones.
right-hand drive countries
Similar to countries like the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia, individuals who had pre-ordered a Model S or Model X were offered the option to change their reservation to either a Model 3 or Model Y—since these latter models come with right-hand drive configurations—or they could choose to cancel their orders entirely.