Another Tesla executive has responded to recent reports that the $25,000 mass-market vehicle is no longer being planned, following CEO Elon Musk’s denial of the claims.
Last week, Reuters reported that sources had told it that Tesla was canceling plans for its $25,000 electric vehicle (EV). Musk went on to deny the reports, literally saying that “Reuters is lying (again),” with he and Tesla later announcing plans to unveil the upcoming robotaxi on August 8, 2024. The move has caused many shareholders and Tesla enthusiasts to speculate that both the robotaxi and the $25,000 EV could be built on the same platform, to which Musk responded on X with the “eyes” emoji, suggesting that it could be a good take.
On Sunday, Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen also responded to claims about the affordable mass-market EV, as posted in a video from X user BLKMDL3. The video, which was taken during a panel discussion between von Holzhausen, Ben from Unplugged Tesla, and Russell from Michelin at the Petersen Auto Museum, depicts one reporter asking about what’s happening with the $25,000 car, whether canceled, delayed, or otherwise.
Tesla’s $25,000 car to be built at Giga Texas, then Giga Mexico: Elon Musk
While von Holzhausen didn’t respond as directly as Musk’s response, he was also quick to cast doubt on the Reuters report in question.
“I would just stay tuned,” von Holzhausen said during the discussion. “Just don’t always believe what you read.”
The original Reuters report alleged that the publication had looked at messages from Tesla to suppliers about the project, along with claims that it saw a message from a manager at Tesla who specifically wrote about the cancellation of the $25,000 EV. The news also comes as Tesla has been rolling out its long-awaited Full Self-Driving v12 to customers after it was touted by Musk and others last year as a key part of unlocking the puzzle of autonomy.
In addition to the FSD fleet surpassing one billion miles last week, the software has also transitioned from being called a “beta” to now being dubbed “FSD (Supervised),” after Musk said last year that v12 would drop the beta moniker. A leaked email from Musk also mandated that Tesla workers require FSD demo drives with deliveries, and the company is now offering one-month free trials of the software.
Tesla will hold its Q1 2024 earnings call on April 23, after the company announced its EV production and delivery numbers for the quarter last week.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
