Tesla Discontinues Model S and Model X Production

Tesla stopped production of the Model S and Model X sedans and SUVs after determining that the vehicles' existing platform could not meet new safety requirements without extensive structural changes. Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering, said in an interview that Euro NCAP and IIHS protocols have grown stricter every five years.

He stated the platform was never designed for the small overlap and offset crash tests now required in Europe and the United States.

Moravy noted that previous modifications had kept the vehicles compliant but that further updates would require a full platform overhaul. At the same time, the company needed space in the Fremont factory for a pilot production line for its Optimus humanoid robot.

The two needs coincided, he said, making continued investment in the older models less practical. Moravy added that the Model S and Model X were the company's first vehicles and are the least suited for future autonomous driving systems. >"The future is autonomous.

These cars were the first ones we designed. They're the least ready for that, you know, world. So, we got to move forward.