Tesla to end Model S and Model X production next quarter as Fremont switches to Optimus

What was promised is now being delivered. In the last quarter of last year, Tesla unveiled Master Plan Part IV and made it clear its ambitions extend well beyond electric cars. The first concrete moves in that direction are now taking shape.

During its 2025 results call, Tesla confirmed that production of the Model S and Model X will end as soon as next quarter. It is a symbolic call, closing the book on two of the most recognisable models in the American brand’s history.

Model S and Model X: the end of Tesla’s longest-running models

The Model S and Model X are the oldest vehicles still being built in Tesla’s current line-up. The Model S, in particular, arrived in Europe in 2013. It was the company’s first high-volume electric car - the Roadster totalled only around 2,450 units - and its role in accelerating public acceptance of EVs, as well as pushing car development itself (especially the emphasis on software), is hard to dispute.

The Model X, Tesla’s SUV, followed in 2016 and became known for its rear doors that open in “falcon wing” style.

How Model 3 and Model Y affected sales

Once the Model 3 and Model Y launched in the segment below, the original pair’s sales took a hit. Today, they account for only a small share of the company’s overall deliveries, even after a major refresh in 2021 and smaller updates in 2023 and 2025.

In 2025, the Model S and Model X (and the Cybertruck, because Tesla does not break out sales by model) contributed fewer than 51 thousand units to Tesla’s total sales, compared with more than 1.6 million Model 3 and Model Y units.

“Ao passo que avançamos para um futuro autónomo, a produção dos Model S e Model X será encerrada no próximo trimestre. Se gostaria de ter um destes modelos, este é um bom momento para o fazer”, wrote Tesla in a post on the social network X. “A Tesla não seria o que é hoje sem o Model S, o Model X e os seus primeiros proprietários. Obrigado pelo apoio ao longo da última década”.

As we shift to an autonomous future, Model S & X production will wind down next quarter.

If you’d like to own one of them, now’s a good time to place your order.

Tesla wouldn’t be what it is today without Model S & X and their (early) owners – thank you for your support over… pic.twitter.com/4J06T1QjVM

• Tesla (@Tesla) January 29, 2026

“Estamos verdadeiramente a caminhar para um futuro baseado na condução autónoma”, said Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, underlining the company’s strategic shift.

Cars make way for robots: Fremont and Optimus

With Tesla ending Model S and Model X production, the Fremont factory in California - the only site where both are built - will be repurposed for a new mission: manufacturing Optimus humanoid robots. The Gen 3 version is expected to be unveiled later this quarter.

After the transition is complete, Tesla believes the facility could eventually produce up to one million Optimus robots per year. “Trata-se de uma cadeia de fornecimento totalmente nova. Nada da anterior linha de produção é reaproveitado”, Musk explained.

Meanwhile, the Model 3 and Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicles, will remain in production and continue as the central pillar of the company’s car offering.