Following the publication of Tesla’s results for the third quarter of 2024, better than the start of the year, Elon Musk held a traditional Q&A session with investors. A chance to clarify the manufacturer’s plans, especially regarding its future entry-level vehicles, but we’re at least as confused as we were before.
As a reminder, Elon Musk has promised an entry-level model starting in 2018 for around $25,000, dubbed the Model 2 by the press. However, we learned at the beginning of the year that Tesla had abandoned the project, maintaining only plans for a model dedicated to autonomous driving.
Elon Musk gets confused over the pricing of his next electric cars.
Now for Elon Musk to build a $25,000 Tesla that isn’t fully autonomous. “That would be ridiculous. It would go completely against what we believe.”he told investors. He then added that the CyberCab autonomous taxi, promised for 2026, will sell for $25,000. However, earlier in the debate, he indicated that the robotaxy would cost less than $30,000, as already announced, but taking into account government subsidies. Again, nothing to do with the $25,000 price tag.
Furthermore, if Elon Musk believes he will. “mockery” For producing a $25,000 Tesla that isn’t fully autonomous, he nevertheless confirmed that electric cars cheaper than the Model 3 and Model Y were indeed in the pipeline, with steering wheels and pedals. This model, this time promised for the first half of 2025, will take over the architecture of the Model 3 and Model Y and therefore will not allow for such a significant reduction in costs. If he will. “mockery” How can we explain the idea of making a more expensive model, but still with a steering wheel, to offer a model with a steering wheel priced at $25,000, similar to the CyberCab, or perhaps nowhere else? A completely ridiculous idea? Incredibly funny?
Or perhaps Tesla is aware that the CyberCab is unlikely to be ready for mass commercialization in 2026 and needs more affordable models for its near-term development. For the moment, we don’t know how similar they’ll be to the Model 3 and Model Y, but the decision clearly shows that Tesla is still talking about cars with steering wheels and pedals. Wants to increase its sales volume. The focus is on fully autonomous driving, which is still pending.