Tesla ending Models S and X production • Hacker News Board

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#111

Post by vannevar » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:44 AM UTC

hrunt wrote: post #108

vannevar wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with being a car company is that they'd have to compete with China. It's possible, but they'd have to make additional capital investments to keep up. They've just wasted a ton of money on a failed Musk vanity project (Cybertruck) and squandered a ton of goodwill in their home market via the DOGE fiasco. Cash flow is not what it once was, and if they're going to make a big capital investment, they're proba…

If the problem with being a car company is that they'd have to compete with China, then I have some bad news about being a robot company. China is already farther ahead in both technology and volume of humanoid robots.[0][1][2][3] [0] https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/28/cnbc-china-connection-newsle... [1] https://www.unitree.com/g1 [2] https://interestingengineering.com/ai-robotics/limx-humanoid... [3] https://www.bgr.co…

Fair point. It's hard to support Tesla's valuation as a car company, it may be even harder to support as a robot company. You have to wonder what might have been if they'd spent that Cybertruck money on battery research.

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#112

Post by decimalenough » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:45 AM UTC

jeltz wrote: post #76

cosmicgadget wrote: post #73

> “If you’re interested in buying a Model S and X, now would be the time to order it.” I can't tell if this is real and he realizes the traditional luxury brands have beaten him or if he's just using the classic rug store sales tactic.

Is that an international thing? There was a rug store next to where I grew up in Stockholm which had a sale because they were closing the shop from at least the early 90s until ca 2020 during covid when they closed the shop for real. There are also a couple more rug stores doing the same thing, one of them still to this day.

It's an international thing, down to the neverending "Closing now fr fr" sales. There was general bemusement in Sydney when one shop notorious for this actually closed down, but only because the building was demolished to make way for a highway interchange.

https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/rozelle-rug...

In many countries, "carpet salesman" is equivalent to "used car salesman" as the least trustworthy occupation imaginable.

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#113

Post by nunez » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:47 AM UTC

harshaw wrote: post #15

I am confused about what Tesla is doing. They have effectively two automobile products now with one failed product (cybertruck). reading various articles about this doesn't make it more clear. Do they not want to be a car company?

Apparently Tesla dropped 4680 battery production for the CT by 99%, so the CT isn't long for this world either.

But that's okay! They have the Cybercab that will 100% drive itself For Real This Time, $99/mo Autopilot/FSD subscriptions and robots that will theoretically wash your dishes in an age where most people have an adversarial relationship with anything AI, so.

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#114

Post by NoPicklez » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:49 AM UTC

cosmicgadget wrote: post #105

NoPicklez wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference there is that Supra's and 86's are performance cars, whereas Camry's and Corollas arent. You can't compare a Hatchback to an 86. The Model S is comparable performance to the Model 3 performance. My point is that the latest models 3 & Y are more affordable alternatives to the S & X and more widely available globally.

Okay that's my ignorance of Tesla models then, I assumed the more expensive models were also faster. I guess then it's more like Toyota EOLing Lexus or GM getting rid of Cadillac. I understand the point that the cheaper models are higher volume. Historically that had not precluded the creation of sports and luxury models for most manufacturers. Are the legacy brands wrong to do this? Currently I doubt their business…

The model 3 performance model does 0-100 in 3.1 seconds, the model S does that in 2.1, it is therefore faster by a second but 3.1 will beat most cars off the line quite comfortably. The Supra for context does that in 4.1 seconds.

Nothing wrong with keeping a sport and luxury model, however I would argue that the latest models are quite sporty and luxurious in their own right.

Companies like Ford constantly discontinue models, but they don't get the level of attention Tesla does.

If Tesla aren't seeing the Model S and X being sold to anywhere near the degree of the 3 and the Y, then why continue making them? They aren't as globally available and its clear people don't want them as much as the others.

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#115

Post by nunez » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:50 AM UTC

NoPicklez wrote: post #5

Why is it seen initially so negatively? There's nothing inherently wrong with a company deciding to stop producing models that are extremely old, have newer comparable models that are more widely available globally and sell multiples more of. So why would you keep those older models? If anything its a good thing. But its Tesla so nothing they do will be spoken positively of.

Ford got a lot of heat for shifting all of their NA production to Mustangs and F-series trucks too a few years ago.

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#116

Post by phs318u » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:52 AM UTC

phendrenad2 wrote: post #50

vannevar wrote: post #29

The next shoe to drop will be shifting Model Y production from Fremont to Austin. Fremont will make Model 3s. Austin will make Model Ys and Robotaxis/2s. Cybertruck will be canceled. None of the Tesla plants will be making robots at any scale for many years.

Yeah I don't buy this announcement. Converting their huge Fremont facility to just making humanoid robots? Do they have some large buyer or something? I'm skeptical.

[flagged]

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#117

Post by nishanseal » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 3:06 AM UTC

SR2Z wrote: post #77

vannevar wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with being a car company is that they'd have to compete with China. It's possible, but they'd have to make additional capital investments to keep up. They've just wasted a ton of money on a failed Musk vanity project (Cybertruck) and squandered a ton of goodwill in their home market via the DOGE fiasco. Cash flow is not what it once was, and if they're going to make a big capital investment, they're proba…

It doesn't help that Musk supported a guy who turned around and gutted the incentives that were helping Tesla turn a profit.

It seems counterintuitive, but this helped Tesla which is why Musk championed it. Basically when that tax credit came out, a bunch of Tesla owners had their cars underwater - loans were more than new cars were selling for and depreciation thru the roof. Plus the tax credit helped their competitors. Now that the credit is gone, Tesla owners are closer to being in the black on their cars and it also caused Ford and GM to cut EV production by I believe 100%. Win win for Tesla.

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#118

Post by MBCook » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 3:08 AM UTC

al_borland wrote: post #93

bhouston wrote: post #43

Tesla is a meme stock in a similar manner to GME. You cannot bet against them even if they have incredibly unsure future prospectives because there are too many believers who will buy any dips.

That might be a little extreme. Tesla is making electric cars and robots. These are very much things of the future. GameStop is buying and selling used games, which is becoming impossible as consoles keep pushing for digital games. GameStop requires a major shift in their business model to stay relevant, while Tesla just needs to hope the public doesn’t reject the idea of electrics cars out of stubbornness or politic…

Didn’t they just announce their profits dropped like 45% year over a year?

https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/28/tesla-earnings-profit-q4-2...

They’ve been overvalued for a very very long time. And then the head of the company decided to alienate as many people as possible. All while pouring a ton of resources into a product that very few people want instead of saner things.

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#119

Post by MBCook » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 3:10 AM UTC

Neywiny wrote: post #63

tchalla wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tesla's far more popular models are the 3 and Y, which accounted for 97% of the company's 1.59 million deliveries last year. The Model 3 now starts at about $37,000, and the Model Y is around $40,000. Tesla debuted more affordable versions of the vehicles late last year. I’m confused as to what’s not clear from the article for you?

Agreed. I also thought it was a very dumb move until I saw that. That said, 3% but it costs 2.5x as much, maybe people option them higher idk, that could be a 10% revenue hit. But maybe that's worth it for them

If they just canceled the S and X I don’t think people would be making quite as much fun.

Saying they’re dropping two products that aren’t profitable so they can make a new product that most people seem to think is a complete joke is the problem.

Re: Tesla ending Models S and X production

#120

Post by epicwynn » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 3:10 AM UTC

phs318u wrote: post #116

phendrenad2 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I don't buy this announcement. Converting their huge Fremont facility to just making humanoid robots? Do they have some large buyer or something? I'm skeptical.

[flagged]

We can kill robots without remorse, and they're likely going to be worse than a human agent at most things for a few years. Not a bad timeline for them to waste their time on.