The American EV manufacturer and sustainable energy company has done many things this year – they started a pricing war across the EV market, updated the Model 3 to 'Highland' status across various markets, and finally started the first deliveries of the eagerly-awaited Cybertruck.
Right now, you can buy a non-facelift Tesla Model 3 in America from $39k, and even the most expensive vehicle they have on offer, the 845-hp Cyberbeast flagship version of the Cybertruck, is below the $100k threshold. Oh, and not to mention, you can get a 1,020-hp Model S Plaid for $90k and the Model X Plaid for $95k! So, it's clear that Tesla is trying to demonstrate that EVs don't need to cost two arms and a leg.
However, they won't fully drive the point home, at least not until Elon Musk's company delivers on the promise of a dirt-cheap EV. For years, there has been talk of Tesla building a smaller car than the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover SUV to actively drive the price down to the level of a cheap mid-sizer like the Chevrolet Malibu – around $25k.
Recently, the rumor mill reactivated itself – followed by the imaginative realm of digital car content creators – because Tesla teased its next-gen compact EV during the Annual Shareholder Meeting this past spring and hinted that it wants two of its electric models to combine more than 5 million units of annual production. Of course, that sparked countless rumors.
The most intense preoccupation across the rumor mill is identifying the soft spot. In this exact location, Musk and Co. will allegedly manufacture the world's cheapest yet greatest EV, something that even Chevrolet's Bolt can't compete with. Some claim that Gigafactory Mexico is the right location, while others think Giga Berlin in Germany would be much more natural given the Old Continent's experience with compact hatchback cars.
Meanwhile, across the parallel universes of vehicular CGI, the race is on to uncover the hypothetical design of the compact hatchback – allegedly dubbed Tesla Model 2. We have seen various unofficial styles for the dirt-cheap Tesla EV over the years, and I have to say that this virtual artist, better known as SRK Designs on social media, has decided to trust his CGI instinct and come up with a dreamy Tesla Model 2 EV that would make me fall asleep faster than ASMR.
Alas, even if Tesla came up with a design as bland as this one, I bet that their $25k Model 2 hatchback would still sell like hotcakes – just look at the $44k Model Y and its performance across both Europe and North America. So, are we ready to welcome a base Tesla into the fold – especially now that the flagship Cybertruck is finally a palpable reality?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News