Tesla is killing off the Model S and Model X Sean O'Kane 2:40 PM PST · January 28, 2026 Tesla is ending production of the Model S sedan and Model X SUV, CEO Elon Musk announced Wednesday during the company’s quarterly earnings call.
The company will make the final versions of both electric vehicles next quarter, he said, adding that his company will offer support for existing Model S and Model X owners “for as long as people have the vehicles.”
“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 said. “So if you’re interested in buying a Model S and X, now would be the time to order it.”
The Model S and Model X are both built at the company’s Fremont factory. Once production ends, Tesla will build Optimus robots in the same factory space in Fremont, California, according to Musk.
Tesla launched the Model S in 2012, and it is regarded as the first car that made electric vehicles widely appealing. The Model X was Tesla’s second major electric vehicle program.
Tesla always intended for its more affordable models — the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV — to greatly outsell their predecessors.
But sales of both models have flatlined in recent years, despite interior and exterior refreshes along the way. Tesla has faced increased competition in the luxury EV space from legacy automakers, as well as upstarts like Rivian and Lucid Motors.
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Sean O'Kane Sr. Reporter, Transportation
Sean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short- and long-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane.
You can contact or verify outreach from Sean by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at okane.01 on Signal.
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