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UPDATE: Tesla Model Q is reportedly coming in first half 2025: Here’s what it will cost

Credit: Tine Rusc

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Update 7:37 p.m. ET: The Wall Street Journal’s Becky Peterson reports having a copy of Deutsche Bank’s report. Here’s what she said:

I got a copy of the Deutsche Bank report. Here’s what it does say: 1. Travis Axelrod met with DB for its Autonomous Driving Day on December 5 in NYC. 2. DB describes “the new Tesla model” which it calls “Model Q”. 3. DB says it will launch in the first half of 2025, and will cost less than $30k with subsidies, or $37,499 if Trump cancels the IRA tax credit. 4. DB says it will be built on Tesla’s existing lines.

The report doesn’t say anything about Redwood, the internal code name for a mass market vehicle, built on a new platform, which Musk paused earlier this year. It also doesn’t say anything about the size or cost, or how it might differ from a Model 3.

A couple of more points of context: Tesla told investors on its Q3 earnings call that its plans to deliver a more affordable model in H1 2025. They said that to do that it will lower the price of its current line up and then eventually sell robotaxis. When asked about a non-robotaxi, $25,000 car Musk said: ‘We’re not making a non-robo…’”

We can encapsulate that the Model Q is Deutsche Bank’s name for the vehicle, not Tesla’s. Model Q is still a label used by those outside of Tesla.

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Paragraph 5 has also been updated for accuracy as Tesla China has now appeared to have commented on the Model Q report.



 Tesla is reportedly planning to launch the affordable Model Q in the first half of next year, a massive development to the company’s plans as it aims to offer a cheaper car that will help expand its annual growth rate.

One of Tesla’s plans moving past 2024 was to launch a new platform that will enable more cost-effective models, bringing the vehicles to a new demographic and perhaps expanding sales for years to come.

Rumors of the Model Q, Model 2, and others have floated around the community for a very long time, but now it seems we have some substance with a new report out of China.

According to a report from Globalchinaev, Tesla announced during an investor meeting with Deutsche Bank that it has plans to launch the Model Q for less than $30,000, aiming to compete with vehicles like the BYD Dolphin and Volkswagen ID.3.

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Earlier today, Tesla China said it had “no information to share about the Model Q,” via MKTnews.net.

Tesla said early this year that investors should expect a lower growth rate in 2024 because of the company’s focus on the next-generation platform that would bring more affordable vehicles.

Tesla’s next-generation platform could mean ‘notably’ lower growth rate in 2024

It also said on more than one occasion that it plans to bring affordable models to market in the first half of 2025.

Both of these things would align with the report, which details the vehicle as part of the rumored “Project Redwood” that we reported on during January of this year.

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The report says the vehicle will be 15 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than the Model 3, bringing a more compact vehicle to the Tesla lineup. With Tesla also focusing on the Robotaxi and its Full Self-Driving efforts, this vehicle will likely be as minimalist as possible.

It will feature a steering wheel and pedals for the time being, but will be geared toward autonomous driving functionality.

Need some awesome accessories for your Tesla in time for the Holidays? Check out the Teslarati Marketplace:

Please email me with questions and comments at joey@teslarati.com. I’d love to chat! You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla is building a new UFO-inspired Supercharger in the heart of Alien country

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Credit: MarcoRP | X

Tesla is planning to build a new UFO-inspired Supercharger in the heart of Alien country — Roswell, New Mexico.

Back in 1947, a crash of debris led to rumors of an alleged crash of a UFO just 75 miles north of Roswell near Corona, New Mexico. The crash was officially noted as the recovery of a military balloon, but over the years, speculation persists that the “flying disc” many saw might have been extraterrestrials trying to make contact with Earth.

As a result of the 1947 crash, Roswell has adopted it and used it as the inspiration for much of its tourism. As Tesla is planning to build a Supercharger in the area, it is using the same sort of inspiration for the location, which will feature just eight charging stalls located under a CyberCanopy.

It was first spotted by MarcoRP, a noted Supercharger permit insider:

Here are some better pictures of the design:

Tesla’s Head of Charging for North America, Max de Zegher, confirmed that the site will be inspired by the events near Roswell in 1947. He noted that Tesla “wants to build a few Superchargers cool enough to be worth of the trip itself.”

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This will undoubtedly be one of those locations, and along with the Tesla Drive-in Diner Supercharger in Santa Monica, it seems the company could be moving toward some more unique designs for the future, making the charging experience more fun and interesting for owners:

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This Tesla vandal caused thousands in damage, but she was let off the hook: Here’s why

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Credit: Tesla

A Tesla vandal in Bloomington, Minnesota, caused $3,200 in damages to a car after keying it. However, the local police department, as well as the owner of the Tesla, let her off the hook.

As a Tesla sat in the parking lot of a Cub Foods grocery store, it was damaged in an act of vandalism that we are unfortunately seeing all too frequently. Police managed to locate the woman responsible for the damage, aiming to hold her responsible for the scrapes she applied to the vehicle.

However, in an act that many might not be able to perform, the owner of the Tesla did not want to pursue any criminal charges. Instead, they just wanted their car fixed.

Police Chief Booker Hodges said (via Minnesota Star Tribune):

“The victim in this case just wanted their car fixed, and they just wanted the suspect to pay for that. Based on the totality of the circumstances here, and along with our core value of being compassionate, this is the best outcome for everybody involved in this case.”

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It was an incredible act of forgiveness, as many of those who have had their Teslas damaged in response to CEO Elon Musk likely would not have been able to do the same thing. One person who had their vehicle keyed filed a civil lawsuit against the vandal, who damaged their car while it was parked at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, seeking $1 million in damages.

Chief Hodges finished his remarks about this specific situation by calling out the leaders who have spread a hateful narrative about Musk and Tesla, and the company’s vehicle owners as well:

“We need our leaders to start leading and stop feeding this rhetoric. People should be able to drive whatever car they want without fear of going into a store and someone scratching their car or people yelling at them because of the car that … they choose to drive. It’s time for all of us, you know, just to start getting along and knock this stuff off, man. People should be able to be left alone.”

While Chief Hodges did not mention anyone specifically, Minnesota politician and former VP candidate Tim Walz said earlier this month that he “gets a boost” when Tesla stock falls. He later retracted his statement by stating it was just a joke.

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Tesla Model Y tops Norway sales despite low Q1 delivery results

The new Model Y ended March as Norway’s top-selling vehicle for the month, with 1,819 units sold.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla did not meet delivery expectations in the first quarter of 2025, and a huge reason behind this was the changeover to the new Model Y in Giga Texas, the Fremont Factory, Giga Shanghai, and Giga Berlin.

Despite Tesla’s disappointing Q1 vehicle delivery results, the new Model Y still made a significant impact in key markets such as Norway.

The new Model Y’s Norway Comeback

While sales of the new Model Y in January and February were low in Norway, the vehicle saw a lot of momentum as soon as deliveries of the updated all-electric crossover started. This resulted in the new Model Y ending March 2025 as Norway’s top-selling vehicle for the month, with 1,819 units sold.

Over the course of Q1 2025, Tesla was able to sell a total of 2,792 Model Y units. That was enough to also make the all-electric crossover Norway’s best-selling vehicle in the first quarter. This is quite an impressive feat for Tesla, especially since sales were throttled during the quarter due to the company’s changeover to the new Model Y.

Source: Elbilstatistikk

Tesla in Other European Markets

Tesla’s results in Europe during the first quarter were a mixed bag. In Germany alone, Tesla saw 4,935 vehicles sold in Q1 2025. As per the German road traffic agency KBA, Tesla’s sales in March dropped 42.5% to 2,229 units year-over-year. This was despite overall EV registrations rising 35.3% during the month. 

In Italy, new vehicle registrations rebounded 51% in March from the previous year to 2,217 units, as per data from the Transport Ministry. This is still quite impressive considering that Tesla has become a very polarizing carmaker in Europe, thanks in no small part to CEO Elon Musk’s politics and close relation to U.S. President Donald Trump.

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