Now that the Cybertruck and Semi are on the way, Elon Musk is starting to talk about what’s next. This is a new platform for future models of the brand, which would lower the price of a future vehicle.
It was during the question and answer session completing the presentation of the financial results for the third quarter of 2022 that Elon Musk broached the subject of a new platform for Tesla. Now that Cybertruck and the Semi are on the way, new projects are needed for the American brand.
If rumors have been circulating for a while about a Model C Where Model 2, more compact than the current models, it is only half-words that Elon Musk spoke on the subject.
A new challenge for engineering teams
The question put to the representatives of Tesla was rather well brought: “ The progression from Tesla’s first platform with SMX to second platform with 3 and Y led to a 50% reduction in cost of goods sold. When do you see Tesla’s third platform coming out? And what level of reduction in cost of goods sold could you achieve? »
Instead of asking frontally for the schedule of upcoming products, a question that Elon Musk probably wouldn’t have answered directly, the request aims to challenge Elon Musk and Tesla a bit.
On the question of the deadline for releasing this new platform, Elon Musk did not give a date, but he contented himself with indicating that as Cybertruck and Semi are on the way, this now leaves the opportunity to the engineering teams. to focus on the next step: a new platform for future models.
Strangely, the Tesla Roadster is not mentioned (although it has been in the queue of models promised to customers for several years).
Smaller and cheaper
After a somewhat vague first announcement, specifying that a new model will be smaller than Model 3 and Y, Elon Musk takes the floor again, hesitating on how to answer the question more frankly:
” But I think it’s definitely going to become… definitely outpace the production of all of our other vehicles combined. I mean obviously we’re going to take everything we’ve learned from S, X, 3, Y, Cybertruck and Semi into this platform. But we…as you’ve told us many times, we have a 2 to 1 target. So we’re trying to get to that 50% again. “, he said, or 50% reduction between current products and those to come.
Tesla wants to produce more with this new platform, while using half the space in the factory and reducing waste. It is thanks to these optimizations of the production tool that Tesla hopes to be able to lower the cost by 50% compared to Model 3.
However, will the upcoming model be cheaper or will Tesla take the opportunity to inflate its margin? It’s probably a little too early to rejoice…