Tesla (特斯拉) retires Model S and Model X as Fremont shifts to robots and mass-market models

End of an era

Tesla (特斯拉) has formally retired its flagship Model S and Model X after more than a decade in production, CEO Elon Musk announced on X with a scan of the 2012 Model S launch photo — a deliberately sentimental touch. The company has removed configurators and it has been reported that only about 600 inventory units remain worldwide, nearly all in the United States; Canada and Europe reportedly show zero new-configure availability. Tesla’s site reportedly lists those remaining cars as eligible for lifetime premium connectivity and free Supercharging.

Capacity reallocation and the Optimus bet

This move is not purely nostalgic. Musk first signalled the plan in Tesla’s January earnings call, saying Fremont would halt Model S/X production to free up space for large‑scale production of the Optimus humanoid robot. Tesla has publicly set ambitious targets for Optimus; it has been reported that Musk envisions annual production in the high hundreds of thousands if the business scales. The company will also mark the retirement with an official ceremony, reportedly to celebrate the models’ role in normalizing electric luxury.

Market pressures and shifting priorities

The retirement reflects broader market realities. Model 3 and Model Y together accounted for about 97% of Tesla’s 1.59 million deliveries in 2025, while “other models” — a bucket that eventually contained S, X, Cybertruck and Semi — delivered roughly 50,850 units. Outside estimates put S/X sales near 30,000 in 2025, a fraction of Fremont’s former 100,000‑unit annual capacity. Competition is fierce: Chinese rivals such as BYD (比亚迪), NIO (蔚来) and XPeng (小鹏) have aggressively undercut prices and packed cars with high‑end features, and Tesla has also suffered regional setbacks — it has been reported that Musk’s public support of Germany’s far‑right AfD coincided with steep registration declines in some European markets.

Strategic pivot or identity loss?

Strategically, retiring low‑volume premium models to concentrate on the high‑volume Model 3/Y and new business lines makes operational sense. But there’s risk. Cybertruck, Cybercab and the next Roadster have struggled with delays, and Tesla faces the question of whether rapid diversification into robots and niche vehicles will restore growth or dilute focus. Is this an end of an era for the cars that made Tesla a household name — or a necessary pivot toward whatever Musk imagines comes next?