Tesla drops Model S, Model X base price with Standard Range versions

On Monday, Tesla released more affordable versions of its premium Design S sedan and Model X SUVs.

The Design S and Design X now start at $80,130 and $89,880, respectively, in the new Normal Vary form, with a mandatory $1,390 destination fee. This is a $10,000 price reduction compared to what had previously been the least expensive-cost versions of the two models.

Both of those Regular Range models continue to have twin-motor all-wheel drive, now simply known as Design S, with a top speed of 149 mph. However, it replaces that with a battery pack that is said to be application-constrained, delivering a lower range of 320 miles for the Model S and 269 miles for the Product S, as opposed to 405 miles and 348 miles for the other models.

Additionally, there is a little less power on tap. The new Product S and Model X have a detailed -60 mph acceleration time of 3.7 seconds and 4.4 seconds, respectively, compared to the older versions’ 3.1 seconds and 3.8 seconds.

The new Standard Assortment models’ electrical output and battery capacity were not specified by Tesla on its purchase website at the time of production. Owners may restore the entire battery capacity (and likely the matching electrical power output) in the future with an additional-cost software upgrade, as Tesla has done in the past with these kinds of software-limited Normal Range variants.

Tesla Product X from 2023, provided by Tesla, Inc.

The standard 19-inch wheels are included with the 320-mile Model S Regular Variant. The Model S Normal Variety drops to a claimed 298 miles when you upgrade to the 21s. Similarly, moving from the 20-inch wheels on the Model X Regular Range to the 22-inch ones reduces the range to 255 miles.

You can still get the Standard Array Design X in the same five-, six-, and seven-passenger layouts and add a steering yoke for $250.

Unquestionably, Tesla has provided these types in this price range before. Tesla submitted plans to provide single-motor Design S models with batteries as low as 60 kwh and 230 miles. When it first debuted in 2012, it cost $67,400 (Tesla had initially intended to sell a variant for $57,400 with just a 160-mile range, but they ultimately scrapped that plan).

The pricing change is largely believed to be a reaction to rising desire charges and their particularly pronounced effects over the previous few months, rather than to a specific decrease in demand for these models. Sales of the combined Product S and Model X have increased this year, rising by 19% in the second quarter.

Tesla Model X from 2023, provided by Tesla, Inc.

This latest move might possibly be a response to Lucid, which earlier this month reduced the price of its base Air Pure to $83,900 in Twin Motor all-wheel-drive form—with an EPA rating of 410 miles. The Gravity SUV from that business, which competes with the Design X, will be available late in the future year.

Prices for these variants have been declining since a redesign for 2021 was announced with a lot of hype above yokes. At the beginning of the year, the business reduced prices across the board, by around 10% for the Model S and Model X. Then, in March, it reduced them by an additional $10,000.

In an effort to compete with a wide variety of domestically developed EV brands in that market, Tesla also this week slashed pricing on a number of Design Y variants in China.