Tesla’s now scrapped $25,000 EV was possibly a slimmed-down Model Y. Know more
- Tesla Model 2, which was supposed to be the cheapest car from the EV maker was reportedly a slimmed-down version of Model Y crossover.
Tesla’s promised and much-hyped cheap mass-market electric car project has drawn much attention. Recently when the carmaker abruptly decided to abandon the project in favour of building a self-driving robotaxi, which it calls CyberCab, the automaker received flak from its investors and the public. Now, The Information has revealed that the proposed $25,000 electric car that has been killed off, would be a trimmed-down version of the Tesla Model Y.
The report claims to have information from former Tesla employees. It reveals that the much-hyped Tesla Model 2, which was supposed to be the nomenclature had the automaker brought the car to market, was internally codenamed NV91, or New Vehicle 91. The plan was to make the Model 2 by slimming down the version of the most popular Tesla car, the Model Y. The report also claims that Tesla officials showed the company’s CEO Elon Musk a full-size version of the budget-priced crossover, which resembled a slimmed-down Model Y. The Tesla CEO was reportedly enamoured by the idea of an even cheaper electric car. However, the subsequent course of events proved challenging for the brand to make the car a reality.
The report further revealed that Musk’s idea was to use Tesla’s already efficient manufacturing process combined with even cheaper battery technology to make the car even cheaper than the initially proposed price tag of $25,000. However, what kicked the cheaper car off the Tesla CEO’s mind wasn’t the price tag, but the CyberCab project.
Interestingly, Tesla and its CEO have been accused of being over-promising and under-delivering when it comes to new vehicles. The automaker took a painstakingly long time to bring the Cybertruck to the market after showcasing it for the first time in 2019. Scrapping the Model 2 again initiated that debate of Tesla being overpromising and underdelivering. The report claimed that the product pitch for the Model 2 was only meant to appease Musk’s appetite for future products, which indicates that the idea conceived was not a concrete one to make a real car, but just a concept in discussion.
First Published Date: 15 May 2024, 08:32 AM IST
