Want a brand new Tesla model? You’ll have to wait a bit longer.
While customers and investors alike have clamored for new Teslas beyond the current S, 3, X and Y range, it won’t be happening in 2022. Instead of trying to push out the likes of the Roadster, Cybertruck or Semi through a turbulence in the supply chain, the company will press its relatively narrow lineup instead.
That strategy worked well last year, as Tesla skyrocketed to become the world’s most valuable automaker. Its delivery figures exploded to 936,172 units globally — a massive increase in another seriously challenging year. “Both last year and this year, if we were to introduce new vehicles, our total output would decrease,” CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday after its Q4 2021 earnings call. The company soundly beat analysts’ revenue projections and earnings per share.
Musk also noted, should Tesla roll out new models now, it would “not make nay sense because we’ll still be parts-constrained”, as it makes the best use of what supplies it can get its hands on to maximize deliveries, particularly of the Model 3 and Model Y. Of all Tesla sales last year, those two models accounted for 97% of the total volume.
Delays pose a risk
At time of writing, Tesla shares fell 11% from a weekly high of $970.09 on Wednesday, to $867.25 on Thursday. Even though Tesla will not launch new models this year, however, Musk did emphasize the automaker’s focus on autonomous driving. “The thing that overwhelmingly matters is when the car is autonomous.”
To that end, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature will become a cornerstone of the company’s profitability, as much as new vehicle launches could be. The company has increased the pricing of FSD (currently at $10,000 for Model 3/Y), and also launched a subscription for access to the technology.
