Tesla Motors changes its lineup frequently and with the Model 3 fast approaching, it’s tweaking things yet again.
This time the manufacturer is getting rid of the rear-wheel-drive variant of the Model S 75, leaving the all-wheel-drive version as the new base-trim — presumably to make room between its $74,500 price tag and the $35,000 Model 3.
This move also streamlines production, as eliminating the RWD car results in the Model S being an exclusively AWD build. However, that doesn’t mean the upscale sedan will be slim on options. Tesla has claimed the Model S will maintain gobs of premium features, unimaginable on the Model 3, for a grand total of 1,500 possible configurations.
According to , the rear-drive Model S will remain available for the rest of 2017. After that, Tesla has indicated it will be ending production to ramp up assembly of the Model 3.
SEE ALSO: Tesla Cuts Price of Base Model S to Just Below $70K
Don’t get too comfortable with the new lineup, though. also noticed Tesla has brought back its 85 kWh battery pack on a handful of brand new Model X 75Ds sold in Norway. While that’s no guarantee the automaker will upsize the power source in its flagship vehicles, it would make sense since the production version of the Model 3 is expected to have a comparable range to the larger sedan. Meanwhile, future installments of the Model 3 using an upsized battery are likely to surpass the current Model S and X’s effective area of operation — and nobody is going to want to pay a premium for enhanced range anxiety.
Tesla previously offered the Model S 60 with a software-restricted 75 kWh battery, so it might try something similar with the 75 or replace it with the Model S 85 — but that’s purely speculation. All we know for sure is that the previously discontinued 85 kWh battery pack has cropped up again and Tesla isn’t interested in talking about it.
Leave a Reply