Tesla Ends Model S And Model X Production In 2026

It’s official: Tesla is closing the chapter on two of its most iconic vehicles. During the company’s Q4 2025 earnings call on January 28, 2026, CEO Elon Musk announced that production of the Model S sedan and Model X SUV will cease by the end of the second quarter of 2026. The decision, while not entirely unexpected, signals the end of an era for the electric vehicle pioneer—and the dawn of a new, robot-focused future.

Musk’s explanation was straightforward, if a bit cryptic. “It’s time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge, because we’re really moving into a future that is based on autonomy,” he told investors, as reported by TechCrunch. He added, “So if you’re interested in buying a Model S and X, now would be the time to order it.” The Model S and X, both manufactured at Tesla’s Fremont, California, factory, will be replaced on the production line by the company’s ambitious humanoid robot project, Optimus.

For Tesla enthusiasts and industry watchers, the writing had been on the wall for some time. Tesla stopped breaking out Model S and Model X sales separately in 2023, instead grouping them with the Cybertruck and Tesla Semi under the vague “other models” category. According to Electrek, this made it increasingly difficult to track the performance of the aging flagship vehicles. Still, estimates pointed to a sharp decline: by late 2024, combined global sales for the S and X had dropped below 50,000 units, with deliveries falling over 30% year-over-year.

The numbers told a stark story. In 2025, “other models” deliveries totaled 50,850 units, but this figure included not just the Model S and X, but also the Cybertruck and Semi. Analysts estimate actual Model S and X sales for the year hovered around just 30,000 units—an anemic figure compared to their heyday. Tesla’s Fremont factory, capable of producing 100,000 Model S and X vehicles annually, has been operating at a fraction of that for years.

Just seven months ago, Tesla attempted a mild refresh of both models, introducing a new paint color, a front bumper camera, slightly improved range, ambient lighting, and a $5,000 price hike. The Model S jumped to $84,990 and the Model X to $89,990. But as Electrek noted, the update felt more like a “farewell tour” than a genuine attempt to revive the lineup. “When Lars Moravy announced that Tesla would refresh the vehicles later this year, he said that they will show the Model S and Model X lineup ‘some love,’ but that doesn’t look like love to me. It looks like an afterthought,” the publication wrote at the time.

The Model S and Model X were more than just luxury EVs—they were proof that electric vehicles could be both desirable and practical. The Model S, launched in 2012 with a base price of $57,400, was Tesla’s first ground-up design. It featured a floor-mounted battery for improved handling and space, and was offered with multiple battery sizes, giving early adopters unprecedented range flexibility. By 2013, the Model S was named MotorTrend’s Car of the Year, with the magazine declaring, “At its core, the Tesla Model S is simply a damned good car you happen to plug in to refuel.”

Tesla wasn’t shy about pushing boundaries. The Model S introduced “Ludicrous Mode,” a performance feature allowing the sedan to rocket from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds—an exhilarating feat that quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation. The car’s popularity soared, with more than 10,000 reservations before the first deliveries even began. Over the years, Tesla continued to iterate, updating battery options and introducing a major interior and exterior refresh in 2021. However, by then, the company’s fortunes had shifted to its more affordable, higher-volume Model 3 and Model Y.

The Model X, which debuted in 2015, was Tesla’s attempt to bring electric power to the SUV segment. Its signature “Falcon Wing” rear doors were both a marvel and a headache—easy to use but notoriously difficult to manufacture at scale. Musk himself dubbed the Model X the “Fabergé of cars,” acknowledging both its luxury appeal and its fragile complexity. Despite production challenges and a major 2021 refresh, the Model X never achieved the same mainstream success as its sedan sibling.

Meanwhile, competition in the luxury EV market intensified. Upstarts like Lucid Motors and Rivian, along with established automakers, have outpaced Tesla’s aging flagships. The Lucid Air now surpasses the Model S in performance and features, while the Rivian R1S has become a formidable rival to the Model X. As Electrek observed, “Competitors caught up, and Tesla’s attention shifted to higher-volume models.”

Even as the S and X faded, Tesla’s newer products have struggled to replicate their early magic. The much-hyped Cybertruck, first revealed in 2019 with plans for a $40,000 base price and annual production of 250,000 units, has faced repeated delays and disappointing sales. According to TechCrunch, only a few thousand Cybertrucks have been sold per quarter, and the promised $40,000 version never materialized. The company’s decision to lump Cybertruck sales with the S and X in quarterly reports may have masked the extent of the struggles, but the trend was clear: Tesla’s original flagships were no longer the centerpieces of its future.

Musk has been candid about the shifting priorities. As far back as 2019, he described the Model S and X as “niche” vehicles maintained more for “sentimental reasons than anything else,” adding, “They are really of minor importance to our future.” Now, with the company’s focus firmly on autonomy—both in vehicles and in robotics—the decision to sunset the S and X seems inevitable.

Still, there’s a palpable sense of nostalgia among longtime Tesla fans. As one top commenter on Electrek put it, “For those of us who followed Tesla from the early days, this is the end of an era. The Model S was the car that started it all. Now it’s the car that Tesla is leaving behind.”

For current owners, there’s some comfort: Musk pledged ongoing support for the Model S and X “for as long as people have the vehicles.” But the Fremont factory floor will soon be humming with a different kind of innovation, as production shifts to the Optimus humanoid robot project. Production of the Cybertruck will continue at Tesla’s Austin facility, but it’s clear the company’s ambitions are moving beyond cars.

The Model S and X may have become “minor” players in Tesla’s lineup, but their legacy is anything but small. They helped establish Tesla as a serious force in the auto industry, paved the way for the mainstream adoption of electric vehicles, and, perhaps most importantly, proved that EVs could be cool. As the curtain falls on these groundbreaking cars, Tesla’s gaze is fixed firmly on the future—one where robots, not just cars, drive the next wave of innovation.