Marko Hanželic
It seems to be Model 3 for over 40 thousand dollars remained the company's cheapest model in the near future Tesla, which you will be able to buy. Reuters reports that plans to build the so-called Model 2 were in the works $ 25.000 cancelled. The report does not give a specific reason for the decision, but it is said to have contributed to it aggressive competition from China in the entry market.
It also doesn't seem to be a particularly recent decision. Reuters cites multiple sources and communications that point to internal conversations that took place in late February and early March. One of the purported messages, dated March 1, advises engineering staff to suppliers it does not tell about the termination of the program, while other sources claim that the company's efforts will shift from the entry-level car to developing a robotic axle. We've reached out to Tesla for comment on the report and will update this post if we hear back. CEO of Tesla Elon Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to deny the report, saying that "Reuters lies (again)".
Rumors that it will little Tesla classified under Model 3, they are several years old. It was envisioned as a smaller hatchback to compete Chevrolet Bolt in Nissan Leaf, but electric vehicle trends have certainly changed since the first rumors. Demand for electric cars has slowed, particularly in the US, which has also hurt Tesla. The company's results in the first quarter of 2024 were not as good as expected, and there is also China. The world's largest car market is hungry for electric vehicles, and the competition is fierce. Reuters agency he speculates that the influx of cheap electric vehicles from Chinese brands could also be a factor in Tesla's decisions.
Regardless, the development of the small car will clearly not be in vain. Production of robotaxis will reportedly use the new platform, though it's not known when they might hit the market or what those production numbers will be. Tesla probably won't make nearly as many as originally planned for Model 2. However, the legal question of where and how driverless vehicles can be used still remains open.
It's right now Model 3 the cheapest Tesla you can buy. It was first introduced in 2017 and underwent a minor refresh in 2023. The latest model is of course Cybertruck, but it's far from an entry-level vehicle and probably won't see mass production for a while, if ever.
