Tesla Model S, X Long Range prices increase by about $15K
Tesla has increased the price of the updated Model S and Model X before a car has arrived in Australia.
The American company that regularly adjusts pricing – both up and down – added about $15,000 to the drive-away price of its largest vehicles, the Model S sedan and the Model X SUV.
It makes the most affordable Model S Long Range now about $171,000 drive-away (depending on which state you’re registering it in; we’ve used NSW prices in this article), only a few thousand dollars cheaper than the Porsche Taycan 4 (about $175,000).
The Model X Long Range is about $199,000 drive-away.
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Just last week the same Model S Long Range was advertised for about $155,000 drive-away while the Model X Long Range was $183,000 drive-away.
It’s not known why Tesla increased the prices and the company does not respond to media requests.
Those prices are only entry-level prices, too, although each offers plenty by EV standards, including two electric motors delivering all-wheel drive traction.
The Model S Long Range boasts a WLTP range of 652km and a 0-100km/h time of 3.2 seconds (Tesla performance figures are often optimistic).
The Model X Long Range has a claimed 580km WLTP range and a 3.9-second 0-100km/h time.
Tick the box for the long-delayed Full Self-Driving feature – which as is becoming apparent is a long way from what its name suggests – and the price increases by about $14,000.
Optioning different wheels, colours and seating configurations also hikes the price up further.
Tesla hasn’t adjusted the price on the high-performance Plaid versions of each model; those Australian prices increased previously by about $15K when the Model S Plaid went on sale in America (the Plaid+ that was previously offered was cut from the product plan).
Both Model S and Model X will be offered with a new aircraft yoke-style steering wheel that has no top to it. There is also no gear selector, the car instead intuitively guessing whether you want it to go in forward or reverse (it can be overridden through the central touchscreen).
One thing that hasn’t changed is the waiting time for the updated versions of the Model S and Model X.
In either case Australian buyers are being told that if they order a car today it won’t be delivered until late 2022.
Only recently Tesla slashed the price of its entry-level vehicle, the Model 3. It was the third price decrease for the car in less than a year, the total price reductions taking about 19 percent off the 2020 prices.
