- Most recently thought cancelled, there’s mutterings again about a future super-affordable Tesla model
- The latest rumours are based on a leaked Deutsche Bank report—but is the ‘Q’ a stripped-down Model 3, or something entirely new?
- The report says the car will bow early 2025, but Tesla is known for overstating its timelines
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File this one under “A Growing List of Unconfirmed Future Tesla Product”: a number of EV-focused outlets across the globe are reporting the Musk-led brand is on the cusp of introducing a so-called “Model Q,” one set to be priced under US$30,000 in America when tax credits are factored.
All roads with this rumour lead back to a site in China alleging to have some inside-baseball info about a meeting between Travis Axelrod, an investor wonk at Tesla; and Deutsche Bank during the automaker’s Autonomous Driving Day event last week. Citing the name “Project Redwood,” this foreign outlet goes on to assert the Q will be about 15% smaller than a Model 3, and span less than four metres in total length (a Model 3 is 4,694 mm long).
Two sizes of battery pack earn a mention in the report, with capacities of 53 and 75 kWh and a choice of single- or dual-motor power. These are similar, but not identical, to what’s on tap in the Model 3 for several markets.
Size differentiation notwithstanding, an argument could be made that any so-called Model Q could be a stripper Model 3 intended to bring the EV fight to a new price bracket in an effort to further cement Tesla’s overall sales prowess in the electric-vehicle category around these parts.
It is important to keep in mind that Elon Musk himself, as recently as this year’s third-quarter earnings call, poured cold water over the idea of a low-cost Tesla vehicle which can actually be piloted by humans. “Basically, having a regular $25K model is pointless. It would be silly. It would be completely at odds with what we believe,” Musk said at the time. We add the ‘human’ exhortation because Musk was far more bullish on a two-seat autonomous taxi with a 2027 production target.
The irony of media outlets running with the Model Q moniker is not lost on this author. In the financial world, it is common for investors to append that consonant to a stock listing when a company goes bankrupt. The mash of “TSLAQ” can be used in reference to nameless short-sellers and skeptics who openly criticize the company and Musk himself.
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