The end looks near for the aging Model X and Model S
Tesla has stopped taking new orders for its flagship Model S sedan and Model X crossover in Europe, as confirmed by the EV brand’s configurator in the region. For buyers there who want one of these cars, the only option is to select a model from current inventory. Because of this, the only new built-to-order Teslas on the menu are the Model Y, Model 3, and Cybertruck. Is this the beginning of the end for the aging Model S and Model X?
United States And Canada: Last Major Markets For Model S/X
Tesla
The USA and Canada are now the last major markets where a new Model S and X can still be ordered. In the USA, the EVs both got a $5,000 price increase in June. At that time, Tesla also introduced changes like improved NVH, new ambient lighting in the cabin, and a new front fascia camera. These updates were not as comprehensive as those seen on the smaller Model 3 and Model Y, though.
It’s hard not to think that the Model S and Model X are living on borrowed time. Competition in the upper EV segment has increased substantially since the two cars originally launched. The Model S first arrived in 2012, followed by the Model X three years later. Although both have been updated many times, that’s a lengthy life cycle for what are fundamentally the same cars.
Sales Of Model X And Model S Are Drying Up
Tesla
It’s been a challenging year for Tesla as the brand navigates an image problem that stems from Elon Musk’s political activities. Although the Model Y and Model 3 are still popular, Tesla only sold 6,714 examples of the Model X through the first six months of the year in the USA, a decline of 44.9%. Model S sales over the same period were 2,715 units, a massive 70.3% drop year-on-year.
Related: Only One Tesla Is Selling Better Than It Did Last Year
Over the same period, Lucid sold over 5,000 examples of its ever-improving Air sedan. The Model S also has to compete with the BMW i5 and i7, Porsche’s Taycan, and Mercedes-Benz’s EQE and EQS, all models that didn’t exist when the Tesla sedan first arrived.
Continued small updates, such as the ones made to the Model S Plaid recently, are no longer enough to keep Tesla’s larger EVs in contention. If you want to configure and order a new Model X and S in the USA, you should probably do so sooner rather than later.