Tesla Model Q Specs Leaked, Will Start At Under $30,000? – CleanTechnica

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According to the Chinese outlet CNMO Technology News (Sina Finance), Travis Axelrod, Tesla’s head of investor relations, announced plans to launch a new model while addressing senior corporate investors at an investor conference hosted by Deutsche Bank on December 5, 2024. The goal of Project Redwood, internally dubbed “Model Q” by Deutsche Bank, is to achieve a post-subsidy price of under $30,000. Not A Tesla App (NATA) posted on December 10, 2024 that once the federal EV rebate expires in 2025 — which it will because Elon The Magnificent wants his surrogate father to kill it — the Model Q’s starting price will be around $30,000.

NATA is usually a reliable source for news about the company, but on this point we disagree. If the Model Q is rumored to start at under $30,000 after the federal tax rebate, that means it will list for $37,499 and not a penny less. For comparison, the Model 3 currently starts at $42,490 in the US before incentives. NATA previously reported that Tesla has already begun speaking to suppliers and is looking to begin volume production of the vehicle sometime around June of 2025. Testing of prototypes has yet to happen, which needs to take place before volume production begins, and no pre-production examples have been seen testing on public streets yet.

The Model Q will supposedly be about 15% smaller and 30% lighter than the Model 3, with an approximate length of 3,988 mm, or 157 inches, which is the length of the standard MINI. The Model 3 is 185 inches long, so chopping almost 30 inches off of it will result in quite a compact car. Whether it will be a sedan, a hatchback, an SUV, or a trucklet is unknown. The battery will likely be smaller to match the car’s smaller size, which will also help reduce the price. Range estimates are too speculative to even talk about at this point.

Tesla Model Q Specs

Tesla is expected to offer two models — a single-motor RWD model and a long-range, dual-motor AWD variant. The lower trim level will include a 53 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, while the AWD version is expected to include a 75 kWh LFP battery. The report says that the vehicle will be able to travel up to 500 km (310 miles) on a single charge, but it’s not clear whether this will be for the more efficient RWD version or the AWD variant. It is also not clear whether that estimate is based on the rather generous standard used by Chinese authorities. We expect the EPA range for the base model will be slightly less than that of the original Chevy Bolt — around 250 miles or so. There is no news yet on the price of the AWD version, but NATA expects it to cost about $5,000 more than the RWD variant.

Once the vehicle ramps up in production, Tesla intends to produce about 10,000 of these cars per week globally, or about 500,000 per year. As Tesla mentioned during a previous earnings calls, this next-generation vehicle will be built using Tesla’s current assembly lines with minimal changes, which should allow for a smooth and predictable production ramp. The company’s much touted unboxed assembly process will be saved for the Cybercab, when and if it ever gets into production.

One of the items that came up during the investor conference was Tesla’s Project Juniper — the Model Y refresh. Juniper has already had a few leaks, including some images and information that mention a return to the 7-seat, 3-row format — at least in China. Not A Tesla App says they are expecting Juniper to launch early next year, as production has supposedly already begun at Giga Shanghai on a limited prototyping basis. That’s what the CleanTechnica C-suite has been expecting as well. If the rollout matches the Model 3 Highland refresh, they expect to see Juniper arrive in China first and then make its way to North America and Europe by the end of 2025. The performance variants should launch in early 2026, after the standard models.

A More Cautious Take On The Tesla Model Q

Car and Driver is a little more cautious in its reaction to this news. With no reports of a new model being seen during testing, a brand new model being released in the first half of 2025 seems unlikely. “Rather than launching a new model no one has seen testing, we think it is more likely Axelrod was referring to a version of the Model 3 but with a smaller battery, which could help drive down its price,” the magazine said. Axelrod reportedly said during the Deutsche Bank presentation that the new model will increase sales by 20 to 30 percent. Though, profits are likely to dip as the company invests in the new lineup. Along with the new cheaper model, Axelrod reportedly told the Deutsche Bank crowd that an extended wheelbase Model Y with three-row seating is slated for the Chinese market.

Given how spartan the Tesla Model 3 already is, it’s unclear exactly how the brand is planning to reduce costs, Car and Driver says. As Tesla’s cheapest car, the Model 3 currently starts at $42,490 in rear drive configuration. Cutting $5000 will be a tough ask, but the company could swap in smaller batteries or use less powerful motors. There is also the option of using cheaper materials in the cabin. Also, there is an outside chance that it’s this “Model Q” is the Cybercab, which notably lacks traditional interior hardware, including the wheel and pedals. However, the big roadblock with that theory is that current regulations don’t allow for production cars without wheels and pedals to operate on public roads. Maybe Elon is planning to fix that before next July.

Previous reports on the new Tesla speculated that the car, nicknamed Redwood, would be considerably smaller than the Model 3, which favors the Cybercab possibility. Plus, despite the low price point, Tesla suggested the new model would launch with fully autonomous driving and go on sale in mid-2025. Is that referring to actually going on sale or opening up pre-orders? Either way, Car and Driver says to take Axelrod’s timeline with a grain of salt given Tesla’s history with time frames.

The Takeaway

Not A Tesla App is more of a champion for Tesla. Car and Driver is more in the “once bitten, twice shy” camp. People get all huffy when we say anything that is not a glowing endorsement of the company or its CEO, but past history tends to support a more cautious approach to news about the company. One of the reasons is because Tesla refuses to engage with the press. In the absence of actual information, rumors and speculation abound. We would be delighted if Tesla introduced a less expensive model, but given the mercurial nature of its leader, we think some skepticism is warranted. Will there be a baby Tesla six months from now? “We’ll see,” said the Zen master.