Skip to main content

Tesla says it will sell 5,000 Model S sedans by the end of 2012

Tesla-Motors-Model-S-sedanTesla Motors released its 2011 financial results Thursday, as well as some information on the company’s plans for 2012 and beyond. CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the highly-anticipated Model S electric sedan will be in customer’s driveways by the end of 2012.

According to Musk, Tesla will sell 5,000 Model S sedans beginning in the second half of 2012, and that no cars will be available to journalists until the first batch is delivered to customers. “We want the car to be as close to perfect as possible before we give it to any automotive journalists,” Musk said. Tesla may be using the same approach as rival Fisker, which released a small batch of Karma sedans (officially classified as prototypes by the government) to customers as a final test before the car’s full production run. A few of these pre-production Karmas did find their way into journalists’ hands.

Musk is very confident about the Model S, saying that it is a luxury car first and an electric car second. Instead of competing with other electric cars like the Nissan Leaf, Musk said the Model S will compete with high-price sedans like the Audi A6 and A8, BMW 5 and 7 series, and the Porsche Panamera.

Musk expects buyers to order $10,000 to $15,000 worth of options on their cars. That would make the Model S much more profitable than if every car sold was a base model.

Although the Model S is not quite finished, Musk also said that it is “increasingly likely” that the car will score five-star crash-safety ratings in all categories.

While the Model X crossover is the fastest selling Tesla in the company’s short history, generating $40 million in sales since the concept was unveiled last week, Musk is not concerned that it will cannibalize Model S sales, saying that Model S sales have risen because of publicity from the Model X unveiling. Tesla plans to sell both cars in China.

After the Model S and Model X reach production, Tesla plans to build a third car (the Model Z?) priced in the $30,000 range, which would make it more of a mainstream product than the luxury Model S and Model X. Musk said the company is approving this third model because it is confident that battery technology has reached the point where it is scalable to high-volume production.

The next Tesla Roadster has been pushed back by this new project; it will arrive as a 2015 model. The first-generation roadster was based on the now-defunct Lotus Elise; it is unclear which platform Tesla will use for the new one.

Will the Model S live up to Musk’s predictions? The world will find out in a few months.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Tesla Model S, Model X could get major interior and powertrain updates in 2020
tesla model s

One of the most prominent Tesla hackers has learned that the company is about to update the Model S and the Model X, the two oldest nameplates in its three-car lineup. The firm often makes changes to its vehicles via its over-the-air software updating system, but the next round of upgrades will include hardware modifications carried out at the factory.

A mysterious hacker who goes by the name Green wrote on Twitter that Tesla files he has been able to view reveal that the S and the X are about to receive a wireless device charger, two new batteries, new-look seats, a different charging port, and a redesigned suspension. The addition of a Qi charger might require a broader interior redesign, which rumors have pointed to for the past few months. The S and the X might also get the same touchscreen as the Model 3 and the Y. And while we're intrigued by the new batteries, details about their capacity remain under wraps for the time being.

Read more
Tesla Model 3 is the world’s most-searched-for electric car, survey says
A red Tesla Model 3 at dusk.

Electric cars have come a long way over the past few years. While sales are still just a drop in the bucket compared to gasoline and diesel cars, there are now enough electric models that buyers have some actual choice at different price points. That means it's also possible to hold an electric car popularity contest. Compare the Market, a U.K. price-comparison website, used Google search data to determine the most-searched-for electric car in the world -- and the Tesla Model 3 came out on top.

Given the hype surrounding the Tesla Model 3 since well before its launch, it's not surprising that Tesla's least-expensive vehicle was the subject of the most searches. The Model 3's lead over other electric cars was significant. It garnered 54.7 percent of search traffic surveyed. The Nissan Leaf took second place, at 16.1 percent, followed by the Tesla Model S (13.1 percent) and Model X (9.5 percent). The only other models with significant search traffic were the BMW i3 (4.4 percent) and Renault Zoe (2.2 percent).

Read more
Tesla drops cheapest Model S and Model X versions in latest lineup reshuffle
2016 Tesla Model S P100D

Tesla is making more changes to its lineup, dropping the least-expensive versions of the Model S and Model X, while also cutting prices on some remaining variants. The shake-up coincides with another cut in Tesla's federal tax credit, as specified by the current rules. As part of the gradual phaseout already underway, the maximum credit decreased from $3,750 to $1,875 on July 1, and will disappear entirely at the end of the year. The phaseout was triggered when Tesla reached 200,000 electric car sales in 2018.

Tesla introduced entry-level Standard Range versions of the Model S and Model X in April alongside new Long Range versions of both vehicles. Now that the Standard Range version is gone, the base price of a Model S effectively rises from $79,200 to $81,190 (all prices include a mandatory $1,200 destination charge). But that price represents a $5,010 cut for the Long Range version, which is now the de facto base model. With 370 miles of range, it's the longest-range electric car currently available.

Read more