Tesla is doing away with its two least expensive Model S cars

By Lulu Chang Published March 19, 2017

Tesla is doing away with its most accessible car. Late last week, Tesla began emailing folks who had previously expressed interest in the Model S 60 and 60D, noting that the least expensive members of the Tesla family will soon be discontinued. While the Tesla Model 3 will be cheaper when it finally becomes available, starting at $35,000, the Model S 60 and 60D were otherwise the most affordable Tesla cars, starting at $68,000. But no longer — the last day to order such vehicles will be April 16 of this year, so if you’re interested, you’d better make a move within the next month.

Both the discontinued models had 75 kWh battery packs that were software-locked to 60 kWh. Buyers were able to access the extra 15 kWh by choosing to update their software (for a fee) after making their initial car purchase. Tesla told Electrek that it ultimately decided to do away with the more inexpensive Model S’s because most owners ended up upgrading to 75 kWh, and the company wanted to make its ordering process more efficient.

While all eyes are currently on the Tesla Model 3 and its (supposedly) imminent launch, Tesla is expected to also come out with higher performance models of its futuristic car, which would likely be priced at a level similar to the Model S. The most basic Model 3 is said to have a battery pack smaller than 60 kWh, and given that the elimination of the Model S 60 and 60D puts the least powerful car in that family at a 75 kWh battery pack, there’s quite a difference between car variants.

In any case, as ever, we’ll have to wait with bated breath to see what Tesla does next after doing away with two of its cars. And if history is any indication, it’ll be a very long and rumor-filled wait.

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Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

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