The expectations about the launch of the cheapest Tesla only increase, and aware of this, Elon Musk is feeding the fire with new details. Finally, the confirmation that despite being a cheaper proposal than the Model 3 or Model Y, this new member of the Tesla family will have high autonomous driving capabilities in less than three years.
This tells us two things. One, Autopilot will also be one of the keys to its new access model. And it is that the driving assistance system is one of the keys that has allowed Tesla models to achieve the highest scores in the impact tests, and also achieve much better accident statistics than vehicles without them.
As we remember, already in 2020 Elon Musk said at a conference that the one called by the press as Tesla Model 2, or the next-generation car for the manufacturer, could operate mainly in autonomous mode within three years.
This gives us another clue about its arrival date, and that is that the rumors indicate that production will begin at the Mexico plant during the second half of 2024, as long as the works at the Monterrey plant meet the demanding requirements. deadlines set by Musk himself.
Something that would fit with the planning revealed by Musk himself three years ago, when he predicted the arrival of this Model 2, which, in addition to being autonomous, said it would cost $25,000.
Of course, Musk’s deadlines, especially on the subject of autonomous driving and prices, must be taken with great caution. And it is that despite having released the FSD system in the United States and Canada last year, he has done it very gradually and cautiously. Something that is expected to happen the same with this new model.
About the price, well, so much the same. As we remember, the Model 3 was a $35,000 car. The price that it failed to reach by being much higher in its access versions in the early years, and even now the cheapest variant starts in the United States at $42,990. 23% more.
If we directly apply this difference to the Model 2, it would mean a cost in the United States of $30,750, which would also place it in a very competitive area within its segment and if it fulfills its promise, it will hit the table again.
