Are Tesla really going to discontinue its two blockbuster models that have been on sale for 10 years?

There has been a significant piece of news in the automotive industry in the past couple of days that deserves attention.

Foreign media reported that Elon Musk announced Tesla will discontinue production of the Model S and Model X.

After the production halt of these two models, the original production lines may be converted to manufacture the Optimus humanoid robots, with a target of producing one million robots annually.

What on earth is going on? Has Elon Musk given up on the highly competitive new - energy vehicle market?

Although these two models are not Tesla's mainstays currently, they hold a very important position.

Without the foundation laid by the Tesla Model S and Model X, the subsequent Model 3 and Model Y would not have achieved such remarkable success.

In fact, the Tesla Model S and Model X can be regarded as veteran models with outstanding contributions.

Tesla's first step was the Roadster in 2008. At that time, Tesla was still a startup company.

So, it didn't gain much popularity after its debut.

It wasn't until the release of the Tesla Model S in 2012 and the Model X in 2015 that they became extremely popular as "million - dollar" electric luxury cars with their avant - garde designs.

Their groundbreaking significance lies in the fact that the Model S was Tesla's first mass - produced vehicle targeting the mainstream market.

The Model X not only features the iconic falcon - wing doors but also became one of the earliest mass - produced all - electric full - size SUVs ten years ago.

After their mass production and entry into the market, they quickly opened up the global high - end electric vehicle market.

This was truly a "king - like" start, laying a high - end and technological brand image for Tesla right from the beginning.

Moreover, they accumulated funds for the subsequent Model 3 and Model Y.

To some extent, these two models also paved the way for the new - energy vehicle industry.

When the more affordable Model 3 was released, it naturally became the "phenomenal hit" in the industry.

The subsequent strong sales of the Model Y also benefited from the brand's halo.

All in all, the Tesla Model S and Model X do carry a certain sense of legend.

However, it is quite common for a legend to reach its end.

As the market has evolved over the years, the sales of these two luxury models have been on a continuous decline, and Tesla stopped disclosing their sales data three years ago.

Last year, Tesla officially announced that these two models would be taken off the market in China.

Looking at the annual data, the global delivery volume of these two models was only about 30,000 units, which is really dismal.

This is also a key factor contributing to their discontinuation.

The factory is there, but it can't produce many cars each year. With poor sales and over - capacity, and after years of market testing, discontinuing production seems to be an inevitable choice.

On the other hand, the future is not completely bleak.

Actually, Elon Musk has been deploying in areas such as autonomous driving, robotics technology, and artificial intelligence in recent years.

This shift in production is just to embrace new goals and start a new chapter.

It can be seen as a normal strategic adjustment.

Regarding the existing Model S and Model X, Elon Musk has clearly stated that their production will officially stop at the end of the second quarter this year.

So, there is still time to clear the inventory. These models will become "limited editions", and with this wave of publicity, there may be a price increase in the short term.

Next, let's see what Tesla's robots will be like. Let's look forward to their mass production...

Reference materials:

Tesla official website, Sina Weibo, etc.

Editor: CR

This article is from the WeChat official account "Tech Fox" (ID: kejihutv). The author is Fox Mei. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.