SAN JOSE: Tesla has officially ended production of its game-changing Model S saloon and the gull-wing Model X SUV to make way for Optimus humanoid robots and autonomous driving technology.
The end for the two models came on May 10 and Tesla posted photos on X of a ceremony in the original Fremont plant in California.
Images showed hundreds of shop-floor workers and other staff gathered around a signed Tesla in a factory setting ahead of the cars' farewell.
"Model S and Model X marked the beginning of the world’s transition to electric transportation," said Tesla in emails to customers earlier this year.
"These vehicles also made it possible for Tesla to develop the technology that would move our world toward autonomy. As we make way for this autonomous future, Model S and Model X production will be ending."
Elon Musk had hinted at the end for the two models a few months ago, but assembly has now officially ceased in what amounts to one of the biggest shifts in Tesla's history as it moves beyond conventional EV manufacturing.
Tesla is shifting its focus to its Optimus robot project, which aims to "create a general purpose, bi-pedal, autonomous humanoid robot capable of performing unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks."
Both of the luxury segment electric cars revolutionised the car industry and how people think about EVs. The UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper even called the Model S "the car that changed the world."
There were many different variants of the full-size, four-door Model S and the first came out in 2012 when electric cars were widely considered as something of a niche product.
Development started in 2007 and a prototype appeared at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The car shares its platform and 30% of its parts with the Model X, a mid-size luxury crossover SUV introduced in 2015.
Industry watchers said both the Model S and the Model X had been facing declining sales for years.
Tesla said it will continue to build the Model 3 and the Cybertruck for the foreseeable future. A second-generation roadster is also in the pipeline, Musk has said.
The last Model S and Model X units have been turned out as limited edition send-off models based on the top-tier Plaid trim level. – dpa
