X

Tesla's Models S and X aren't changing anytime soon, CEO says

The Big T's flagship models are getting older, but don't expect them to change in a big way in the near future.

2019 Tesla Model S Long Range
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2019 Tesla Model S Long Range

The Model S looks an awful lot now like it did when it debuted in 2012, but that's not a bad thing.

Tim Stevens/Roadshow

Most manufacturers would be freaking out about the future if it had models in its lineup that were mostly the same now as they were when they debuted seven years ago. Not , though. 

Despite many minor changes and a few technical updates, the of 2019 is not wildly different from the one that debuted way back in 2012. That has led people to wonder if the Model S and its slightly newer sibling, , will be getting a redo anytime soon.

The answer to that, according to the Big T's CEO Elon Musk , is no. The recent mechanical refresh to S and X that we saw a few months ago is the extent of what we can expect for the future. On the one hand, that sounds crazy, but on the other, it's not like either model looks especially dated.

Musk's decision makes sense from a business standpoint, too. Why would a company that is so resource-hungry as it is divert funding and personnel away from new models like Y or the Tesla truck to retool relatively low-volume flagship models?

Now, Models S and X will continue to get minor updates, both in hardware and of course through software, but Musk also states that we shouldn't expect even an interior re-do, despite the move away from the S and X's more traditional interior layout to the more minimal style used on 3 and Y.

In the long-term, it's not clear how S and X fit into Tesla's grand plans with all the robotaxis and semi-trucks and God knows what else Elon is cooking up. In the meantime though, they won't be going anywhere, and if our own Tim Stevens' recent review of the current Model S is anything to go by, that's not a bad thing.

Tesla didn't had no further comment beyond Musk's tweets.

Tesla's Model X gets artsy

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Watch this: Tesla Model S Long Range pulls further ahead of the EV pack
Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
Kyle Hyatt
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).

Article updated on July 9, 2019 at 5:55 PM PDT

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Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
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