Tesla May Be Readying Model S And Model X Update

Tesla is clearing all inventory of Model S and Model X across stores and showrooms, multiple reports say, suggesting that the electric vehicle maker is preparing design refresh of the two models.

Tesla has told employees to clear all inventories of Model S and Model X in all markets by the end of the month, Electrek reported on Friday, citing sources with knowledge of the plans. It is not typical for Tesla to clear inventory at the start of a new quarter, which, Electrek’s Fred Lambert argues, could indeed mean that a design refresh for Model S and Model X is coming soon.

The Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley group on Twitter also noted on Friday that there are no Model S or Model X vehicles in the Stanford shopping mall, or at Century City in the store, or for test drives. The owners of Teslas are speculating that the inventory clearance is to make room for something new, most likely a refresh of the models.

Moreover, Tesla shut down the production lines of Models X and S at the Fremont, California, factory on Christmas Eve for 18 days, as an email to employees seen by CNBC showed last month.

The company didn’t give a reason for the nearly three-week-shutdown, intensifying speculation that one of the reasons could have been to make updates and adjustments to the production lines of Model S and Model X.

A Tesla Model S refresh was seen on New Year’s Day near Tesla’s headquarters, Teslarati reported, citing Ryan Levenson of The Kilowatts Youtube channel. The sighting suggests that Model S could be undergoing a design refresh, according to Teslarati.

Meanwhile, Tesla said earlier this month it had delivered half a million cars last year. The total 2020 deliveries of 499,550 vehicles are just 450 lower than the 500,000 target Elon Musk had set, and they beat analyst expectations.  

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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