Everything you need to know on every new model Tesla is planning to release.
The Model Y, which we’ve reviewed today, is just one of six new or heavily updated models that Tesla is planning to launch in the next few years.
Tesla showed the world that electric vehicles could be luxurious and desirable, and it’s a lesson that’s not only been learned by car buyers, but rival car makers too.
Hardly a week goes by without another exciting new fully electric model being revealed, and Tesla has big expansion plans of its own.
We’ve just reviewed the new Tesla Model Y. But here’s what’s else is coming and when.
Tesla Model S
On sale 2022
First introduced to Australia half a decade ago, the Model S luxury car will get a big interior update next year, with the portrait-orientated touchscreen infotainment system of today’s car ditched in favour of a 17-inch landscape unit that looks to be better integrated into the dashboard.
This runs new software with the processing power of 10 teraflops (yes, that’s really a thing), meaning the in-car games you can play are comparable with those on modern gaming consoles. Plus, there’s a new 8.0-inch touchscreen mounted at the back of the centre console, giving rear-seat passengers access to various entertainment functions.
Official pictures show a new steering wheel that has no upper section, presumably to give the driver a better view of the digital instrument panel behind. That design would currently be illegal in Australia, though.
Beyond the new interior, the big news is the introduction of a Model S Plaid variant, which uses three electric motors to produce a whopping 740kW. That’s said to be enough for 0-100km/h in 1.99sec – faster than all but the most outrageous supercars.
There will also be a Model S Plaid+, which increases the range from an estimated 630km to more than 840km (on the official US EPA test cycle).
Tesla Model X
On sale 2022
Tesla’s large Model X SUV will get the same interior changes as the Model S, plus its own flagship Plaid variant, which can get from 0-100km/h in 2.5sec. That’s around a second quicker than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid.
Tesla Roadster
On sale 2023
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised that this successor to the first-ever Tesla will be “the fastest accelerating production car ever”, hitting 100km/h in 1.9sec and 160km/h in 4.2sec. It’s also said to have a top speed of more than 400km/h.
At first glance the car looks like a coupé, but it features a removable roof panel, and the claimed range between charges is a whopping 1000km.
“The point of doing this is to give a hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars,” Musk said at the reveal of the new Roadster. “Driving a gasoline sports car is going to feel like a steam engine with a side of quiche.
Tesla Cybertruck
On sale 2024
At 5.87 metres long, Tesla’s first foray into the ute market is around the same length as conventional rivals in the US, but slightly longer than the models we currently get in Australia.
It features a radical wedge-shaped design that’s a major departure from the styling of other Teslas – and indeed pretty much everything else on the road. Plus, buyers will be able to spec it with one, two or three electric motors.
Even the single motor, rear-wheel-drive variant is said to be capable of 0-100km/h in 6.5sec and 400km between charges. Plus, it can tow 3500kg with a payload of 1360kg.
The dual-motor version brings four-wheel drive, cuts the 0-100km/h time to 4.5sec and has the ability to tow more than 4500kg. The spec highlights of the tri-motor version are said to be a 2.9sec 0-100km/h time, an 800km range and a 6350kg towing capacity.
The load bay is 1.9 metres long, which is the same as a standard Ford F150’s, and it features a powered cover for security.
Tesla Model 2
On sale TBC
Although it’s still to be confirmed, Musk has hinted at launching an electric family hatchback to rival the Volkswagen ID.3. It would be the cheapest Tesla so far.
News agency Bloomberg recently quoted him as saying: “In Europe, it would make sense to do a compact car.” At an earlier conference, Musk told investors: “The thing that bugs me the most about where we are right now is that our cars aren’t affordable enough. It would be reasonable to assume that we would make a compact vehicle of some kind and probably a higher-capacity vehicle.”
No details have been announced, but it’s believed that to keep costs down this new entry-level model could be a reworked version of the existing Model 3 sedan with reduced performance.
Steve Huntingford