PALO ALTO, Calif. — Electric carmaker Tesla Inc. announced it is dropping the “standard range” variants of its Model X SUV and Model S sedan, raising the entry-level price for both vehicles by $4,990, while lowering the starting price of the high-volume Model 3 by less than $1,000.
The discontinued base-model X and S sold for $84,000 and $75,000, respectively, and could go about 285 miles on a full charge. The “long range” Model X and Model S get 370 and 345 miles per charge. Also still available are “performance” editions that trade range for enhanced output and acceleration.
The Model 3 sedan represented about 80% of all Tesla’s 95,200 deliveries in the second quarter, which represented a 51% improvement from Q1. The 3’s starting price was reduced from $39,900 to $38,990.
“To make purchasing our vehicles even simpler, we are standardizing our global vehicle lineup and streamlining the number of trim packages offered for Model S, Model X, and Model 3,” a statement from factory execs read, in part. “We are also adjusting our pricing in order to continue to improve affordability for customers.”
Writing for Jalopnick, industry watcher Michael Ballaban said the move was more likely the result of limited manufacturing capacity. Tesla is preparing to shift some Model 3 production to an under-construction factory in Shanghai; China is the world’s largest electric-vehicle market.
“For most consumers, [capacity] doesn’t matter one whit. But one of the end results of that is Tesla’s lineup is constantly shifting and moving in subtle ways,” Ballaban wrote. “So it may not surprise you that Tesla banished the base model ‘standard range’ Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S from its lineup.”
