Tesla is facing a truth every automaker confronts eventually. You can dominate the premium market - but the market for cheaper cars is much, much bigger. Two years after killing its $25,000 "Model 2," Tesla is trying again.
The company is building something entirely new - not a cheaper Model 3, not a stripped-down Model Y, but a brand new compact SUV.
Four people familiar with the project told Reuters that Tesla has contacted suppliers in recent weeks to discuss the new vehicle. It would be roughly 14 feet long - compared to the Model Y's 15.7 feet.
To hit a lower price, Tesla plans to use a smaller battery (shorter range), a single motor instead of two, and lighter construction at about 1.5 metric tons versus the Model Y's 2 tons.
Think of it as the Corolla to the Model Y's Camry - a smaller, simpler version built to reach a much larger audience.
The target price is "substantially lower" than the Model 3, which starts at $34,000 in China and $37,000 in the US.
In 2024, Elon Musk scrapped the Model 2 and declared it "pointless" to build cheap cars for human drivers when robotaxis were coming. But two years later, Tesla faces a third straight year of declining traditional EV sales.
Chinese competitors are flooding the market with affordable options. And most countries won't allow driverless vehicles for years.
The new vehicle is designed to hedge that bet. It can be sold as a regular human-driven car today, but it's also built with autonomous capability for future use.
Production likely starts in Shanghai, with expansion to the U.S. and Europe later. It won't begin this year.
Tesla's market cap sits at roughly $1.3 trillion - a valuation built on the promise of robotaxis and AI. A new affordable car won't dramatically change that number overnight.
But it signals that even Tesla understands the future of EVs requires reaching regular people with regular budgets.
