Tesla quietly raises Model-S and Model-X prices by $15,000 or more

[Drew Dowdell]

Tesla is moving further into exotic car territory with the Model-S and Model-X.  Elon Musk announced in a tweet on January 9th that after January 13th, the 75D versions of both vehicles would no longer be available for order and the new entry-level model will be the 100D.

 

Quote

 

Starting on Monday, Tesla will no longer be taking orders for the 75 kWh version of the Model S & X. If you’d like that version, please order by Sunday night at https://t.co/46TXqRJ3C1

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2019

 

The starting price for Model-S 75D is $76,000. That gets you an AWD EV with 259 miles of range that can do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds. Telsa's AutoPilot is available for an additional $5,000. Moving to the 100D is an increase of $18,000 to $94,000. That increases the range to 335 miles and cuts a tenth of a second off the 0-60.

The Model-X 75D starts at $82,000 with a range of 237 miles. With that gone, the new base Model-X 100D results in a $15,000 increase in Model-X base price to $97,000 with an increase of range to 295 miles. 

These price increases come on the back of the reduction in federal tax credits that begin this year, from $7,500 to $,3750.  That brings the total effective price increases for the Model-S and Model-X to $21,750 and $18,750 respectively. After June 30th of this year, the tax credit will fall further to $1,875.

The Model-S and Model-X have been selling well against such heavyweights as the Mercedes S-Class and BMW X5. However, Porsche, Jaguar, Mercedes, and Audi, as well as upstart Rivian , are all releasing competitors to the Telsas in the coming months. Whether Tesla can maintain that momentum with $20,000+ price increases remains to be seen.

Hat tip to reader @balthazar for pointing us to this story.

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[G. David Felt]

WOW, While the technology is great and the speed is equally as great, for that price, I am still not impressed with the interiors of the Tesla S and X.

Plus, while I can drive the auto's, no one can fit behind me as there is only 3 inches of room from the back of the front seat to the back seat, so no leg room. 

I acknowledge that I am not average size, but still for an EV, I am disappointed in the interior room of the Tesla S and X.

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, dfelt said:

WOW, While the technology is great and the speed is equally as great, for that price, I am still not impressed with the interiors of the Tesla S and X.

Plus, while I can drive the auto's, no one can fit behind me as there is only 3 inches of room from the back of the front seat to the back seat, so no leg room. 

I acknowledge that I am not average size, but still for an EV, I am disappointed in the interior room of the Tesla S and X.

Which fits you better. Model S or Bolt?

[Robert Hall]

The interior materials don't impress either for the price.  I've ridden in a Model S a couple times a few years ago, they don't seem overly luxurious...a big German sedan or big Cadillac is way nicer inside, IMO. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Just now, Robert Hall said:

The interior materials don't impress either for the price.  I've ridden in a Model S a couple times a few years ago, they don't seem overly luxurious...a big German sedan or big Cadillac is way nicer inside, IMO. 

Definitely.  The luxury is all in the powertrain, not in the interior.

[balthazar]

"luxury powertrain" - what does that even mean? :P

[Drew Dowdell]

Just now, balthazar said:

"luxury powertrain" - what does that even mean?

The most technologically advanced, fast, efficient, capable, minimal maintenance, and free fillups availabe..... all in one package.  No ICE powered car can match that.

 

[smk4565]

Tesla has a lot of demand, so they can drop those base models that probably don’t sell well anyway and not lose any customers.  The challenge for Tesla will be if someone like Porsche or Mercedes has Tesla level performance and price but with Porsche/Mercedes interiors and fit and finish.  

[Drew Dowdell]

Just now, smk4565 said:

Tesla has a lot of demand, so they can drop those base models that probably don’t sell well anyway and not lose any customers.  The challenge for Tesla will be if someone like Porsche or Mercedes has Tesla level performance and price but with Porsche/Mercedes interiors and fit and finish.  

That's where I see Tesla getting (back?) into trouble. If Mercedes EQ comes out with the same EV performance as a Model-X but still has a Mercedes interior for the same price, where does Tesla go then? At that point, the only thing they have left is a name-brand advantage (even over Mercedes, it is slight, but it is there). 

The next refresh of the Model-S needs to focus heavily on the interior quality. 

[G. David Felt]

27 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Which fits you better. Model S or Bolt?

As I posted when it was in Seattle 2 years ago, I actually fit better in the BOLT than the Tesla S. My wife says I look funny in the Tesla S with my knees by my shoulders.

[Drew Dowdell]

Just now, dfelt said:

As I posted when it was in Seattle 2 years ago, I actually fit better in the BOLT than the Tesla S. My wife says I look funny in the Tesla S with my knees by my shoulders.

you just do better in more upright vehicles then...  

[G. David Felt]

1 minute ago, Drew Dowdell said:

you just do better in more upright vehicles then...  

Yes, I have never really even as a Teen fit well in cars. Just to damn big  

Was 2016 when I was able to fit in the production BOLT at the Seattle Auto Show.

[Drew Dowdell]

Just now, dfelt said:

Yes, I have never really even as a Teen fit well in cars. Just to damn big  

What about a Model-X?

[G. David Felt]

3 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

What about a Model-X?

I can fit into a model X and look fine but unlike the BOLT where I can leave the seat as is and get into the back still and sit for short trips, the Tesla X only has about 3 inches of leg room from the back of the front seat to the back seat cushion. No one can really sit behind me. I was very suprised by this, I will say, I was sold on the Tesla X when I test drove it, it is wicked fast even in base model and so smooth to drive.

The whole can I fit in the front and get out and sit in the back is why I am so excited about the Rivian and Atlis EVs. Something that can handle big people.

[smk4565]

Elon says the Tesla Roadster will be capable of vertical lift off, so advantage Tesla there.  Mercedes cars can’t lift off the ground.

[balthazar]

4 hours ago, smk4565 said:

Tesla has a lot of demand, so they can drop those base models that probably don’t sell well anyway and not lose any customers.

Model S was down 5% last year as it is, 'raising' the price by EIGHTEEN THOUSAND surely will cut into that model's sales quite deeply.

[Robert Hall]

9 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Model S was down 5% last year as it is, 'raising' the price by EIGHTEEN THOUSAND surely will cut into that model's sales quite deeply.

Maybe they think that will help boost Model 3 sales. 

[smk4565]

8 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Model S was down 5% last year as it is, 'raising' the price by EIGHTEEN THOUSAND surely will cut into that model's sales quite deeply.

Not if they weren’t selling the 75 kw cars anyway.  Plus they have a backlog of Model 3 orders they still haven’t filled.  I think sales demand or pricing are the least of Tesla’s worries.

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

Model S was down 5% last year as it is, 'raising' the price by EIGHTEEN THOUSAND surely will cut into that model's sales quite deeply.

Tesla had the "least bad" in sales results aside from Lexus (LS was way up due to the prior model being a partial year in 2017) and the Porsche Panamera. A8 was down nearly 50%, S90 was down 19.4%, Q70 was down 22.7%, 7-series was down 10%, E-class was down 9.5%, S-Class was down 5.7%.

I'm thinking that Tesla is hoping to make it up in Model-3 Performance volume. 

[oldshurst442]

Raising the prices?  By 18 thousand?  By just eliminating the lowest trimmed Model S and Model X one could buy previously?

I think that statement is misleading...

The price of admission for a Model S got more expensive because the lowest trim available got nixed. Not because the Model S and ModelX 100D got 18 thousand higher, but because the cheaper Model S by 18 thousand is no longer available for sale...

NOT THE SAME THING...

Besides, the 75kwh battery is available in the highest level Model 3. 

Why create overlap with two of your cars? Streamline...This creates an even more separation between Model 3 and Model S. And when the Model Y comes along, the same for it and the Model X.  Which was done once before with the Model S when the Model S ditched the 60kwh battery and forced people to buy the 75 one...but kept the option open for 60kwh when they "detuned" the 75kwh battery that was in it...and then killed that option all together...

No harm done. 

But, yeah. The Model S is fast becoming...scratch that, already is long in the tooth. Like Drew said, they need to fix the interior and make it worth the 100Gs plus one pays for one... 

 

 

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Raising the prices?  By 18 thousand?  By just eliminating the lowest trimmed Model S and Model X one could buy previously?

I think that statement is misleading...

 

 

The entry price for a Model-S just went up by $18,000... I don't think that is misleading. It's not the first time it has happened either has Telsa has previously raised prices by dropping the entry models without lowering the prices on the models above it.

Imagine if Chevy stopped offering all trims of Camaro under the SS.... wouldn't you say that they raised the price of entry?

[oldshurst442]

26 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

The entry price for a Model-S just went up by $18,000... I don't think that is misleading. It's not the first time it has happened either has Telsa has previously raised prices by dropping the entry models without lowering the prices on the models above it.

Imagine if Chevy stopped offering all trims of Camaro under the SS.... wouldn't you say that they raised the price of entry?

I said that: 

30 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

The price of admission for a Model S got more expensive because the lowest trim available got nixed. Not because the Model S and ModelX 100D got 18 thousand higher, but because the cheaper Model S by 18 thousand is no longer available for sale...

Price of admission for a Model S got higher...sure...but NOT because Tesla raised the prices for it.  Tesla nixed the lower trimmed model. 

A person that wanted to buy the 100D Model S a week ago will more or less buy it the same price come Monday. 

A person that wants to buy the Model S come Monday and he wants the 75 model, well, he will end up buying the top trimmed Model 3 instead.   

In your scenario, if Chevy ends the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder Camaros, well...that person ends up going to Ford or Dodge down the street...

One could go to the Cadillac dealership to get the ATS...but the ATS is not a Camaro per se. But the Model 3 with the 75khw battery closely imitates the 75kwh battery Model S. 

And since no other car maker has what Tesla makes...Tesla could do that without a loss of clientele.

But in your scenario with the Camaro, Chevy will most definitely lose sales to a 4 cylinder Mustang and a V6 Dodge Challenger. 

Tesla has the Model 3 to cater to those peeps that want a Tesla in that 50, 60 thousand dollar price range with a 75kwh battery. 

And I do not know the price ranges between the Model 3 and Model S, but if you look it the other way, peeps get to SAVE money IF the 75kwh battery Model 3 was less expensive than a 75kwh battery Model S... 

Besides, Ford nixed the V6 and made the 4 cylinder more expensive to obtain...nobody batted an eyelid for that manoeuvre. But lets hang Elon Musk for making a positive, calculated decision for his bottom line Tesla company...

 

Edited January 12, 2019 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

 

 

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/9/18176198/tesla-75kwh-battery-model-s-x-price

 

Quote

 

Tesla is abandoning the 75kWh battery pack for both the Model X and Model S, CEO Elon Musk announced on Wednesday. Customers have until Sunday, January 13th to place orders if they want cars fitted with the company’s lowest-capacity (and cheapest) battery.

The 75kWh pack is what Tesla uses in the base model of both those cars, which means they will now only be available with the higher-capacity 100kWh pack. That also means the price to buy either car is about to increase dramatically. Unless new variants are in the works, or Tesla changes its prices — something it does often, to be fair — the base price of the Model S is about to increase from $76,000 to $94,000, while the cost of the cheapest Model X is about to jump from $82,000 to $97,000.

A spokesperson for Tesla declined to comment.

The change should help differentiate the Model S and Model X from the Model 3, which currently starts at $44,000, but can run as high as $70,500 with options. The currently available versions of the Model 3 use a 75kWh battery pack, but it uses differently-sized cells.

 

 

That is 6 000 dollars cheaper to get a 75kwh battery from Tesla, if one wants to see it that way...

And Im assuming, that a top trimmed Model 3 may be even quicker and have a longer range than the lower trimmed Model S. Granted, the Model 3 is a tad smaller and in the back seat, more cramped than the Model S...

But are we gonna be that petty for this decision?

 

Edited January 12, 2019 by oldshurst442

[Drew Dowdell]

I get it, you don't like my headline, but that's the way I see it and that's the way I wrote it.  I'd say the same thing if the only CT6 available for 2019 was the 3.0TT Platinum model.  I don't think I'm being deceptive.

[oldshurst442]

I just regret one thing thaat I said. About the Model S needing a better quality interior. 

I do not think it needs that at all...

Even if Mercedes or Porsche have better interiors and the panel gaps are waaaay better, which they will be, Tesla has them both beat with their computer touch screen and the way they do their updates online. Couple that with Tesla's supercharging network and Mercedes nd Porsche will have a tuff time beating Tesla, not the other way around...UNLESS Mercedes and Porsche duplicate what Tesla does with their computer touch screen...they dont have a chance against Tesla. 

I wont even mention the charging network Tesla has...but I did. 

It may need a new body though...to keep it fresh on the outside. 

Edited January 12, 2019 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

Just now, Drew Dowdell said:

I get it, you don't like my headline, but that's the way I see it and that's the way I wrote it.  I'd say the same thing if the only CT6 available for 2019 was the 3.0TT Platinum model.  I don't think I'm being deceptive.

Im not telling you how to write Drew...

Its creative writing and I get that. Im not the one to mess with journalism. If I was a head coach of an NFL team or coach of an NHL team, Id have a problem with sports journalists doing creative writing about my team, but obviously this is not what this is.

You are not being deceptive. Too strong of a word deceptive is. It is truth you wrote, but its creative truth...

I just see it differently. A different truth than what you wrote...

#fakenews is a different animal all together. 

Now, if we had HuckaSands to tell us how SHE sees it, then we could settle this once and for all... 

 

[Drew Dowdell]

Lol!