Tesla To Shorten Delivery Times Of Model S & X in Europe

Right now Tesla is in its most strenuous work stage of the year: as it usually happens at the end of each quarter, the Austin company hits the accelerator full-speed in factories and dealerships in order to trigger deliveries. With the access models (Models 3 and Y) being the top sellers worldwide, the Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X seemed somehow relegated to second, less important positions, but the Austin company in fact wants to start deliveries earlier than expected. A user forum alerts that customers will soon receive their long-awaited units almost a year after ordering them.

During this time Tesla has sought to significantly increase scale and production, and for that purpose it needs its two best-selling models: Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y. The two have occupied almost all the attention in the assembly lines, while the Models S and X for Europe basically just waited, in a kind of stand-by situation. It is just a matter of taking a look at the latest quarterly figures to actually see the results: in the third quarter 2022 Tesla delivered 343,830 units worldwide, of which only 18,672 were flagships.

It is obvious that the United States has been enjoying the latest versions of the Model S and Model X for some time now; the limited production is exclusively for the local market, but that is about to change, as China and Europe will soon receive the first units. Customers now get to see how a 12 month-wait is finally coming to an end. It was last August when the company announced that the two models were back on the market, although the truth is that orders had been piling up for months in the company's offices from customers who had made the reservation without even knowing the actual delivery times.

As of right now the delivery times that Tesla manages basically show that, for instance, in Spain the first units could be received in December, although depending on the equipment some specific units could be delayed up until February 2023; we are referring to the Model S and Model X Plaid, which are the only ones that are currently in the company's catalog. Everything indicates, according to some customer forums, that deliveries will start in Germany and that they will quickly spread to other markets in Europe.

Although the latest versions of both models attract a lot of attention, the fact that only the Plaid versions are available - with more than 1,000 hp - will not presumably make them the best-selling models; the starting price isn't going to help either. In Europe the Tesla Model S Plaid stands at 140,000 euros (about the same in US dollars), while the Tesla Model X starts at 144,000 euros. Despite the very high power, the range figures show the excellent work performed by Tesla engineers: up to 340 miles of range for the family SUV and up to 370 miles for the sports sedan.

Another great feature that actually remains to be tested by users is the behavior and usability of the already famous Tesla yoke-style steering wheel. At first it was thought that European authorities were going to veto this solution, but finally nothing happened and there was no problem in the way of the Model S and Model X are being offered in the old continent, that is, with half a steering wheel. For sure, shortly after the first deliveries are made we will begin to know first-hand the opinions of the drivers on the yoke-style steering wheel.

Source: hibridosyelectricos

All images courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Nico Caballero is the VP of Finance of Cogency Power, specializing in solar energy. He also holds a Diploma in Electric Cars from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and enjoys doing research about Tesla and EV batteries. He can be reached at @NicoTorqueNews on Twitter. Nico covers Tesla and electric vehicle latest happenings at Torque News.