Tesla Model S replacement still more than five years away

Tesla’s Model S sedan will be 14 years old by the time it’s replaced.

The four-door Model S, which debuted in 2012, was to be replaced with an updated version in 2024. Now, though, reports from industry forecasters in the US - via news site Autoline Daily – suggest that the Model S will now push through until early 2026, before being replaced.

This will easily make the first-generation Model S the oldest EV in the market when it’s finally replaced.

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The Model S has been consistently upgraded over the course of its life, and its distinctive coupe-like silhouette has aged well.

However, the company has recently turned its focus to building a new plant in Germany, as well as prioritising the wider roll-out of the Model 3-based small SUV, the Model Y, in China and to the rest of the world, including Australia.

Built in Tesla’s Californian plant, the Model S gave the brand a big head start in the EV race, with rivals like the Porsche Taycan taking until 2019 to hit to market.

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Life will become more challenging for the Model S, though, as mainstream machines like the Audi’s RS e-tron GT and upstart competitors like Lucid enter the fray.

Launching in 2012 with battery packs as small as 40kWh, the dual-motor Model S is now only sold in Australia with 100kWh battery packs that give the car up to a claimed 722km of range.

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The entry-level Long-Range Plus offers this category-busting range claim, and lists at $119,990 on Tesla’s Australian site.

The $134,990 Performance, meanwhile offers a 0-100km/h time of 2.5sec – 1.3sec faster than the Long Range Plus – at the expense of 20km of range and about 36kg of extra weight.

A triple-motor Plaid version is also listed on the site at $189,990, with a timeline of late 2021 against its name.

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