'We will have an official ceremony to mark the ending of an era. I love those cars' — Elon Musk mourns the officially retired Tesla Model S and Model X

• Tesla reveals that Model S and Model X are no more
• Musk shifts focus to autonomy, rather than passenger cars
• Only the Model 3 and Model Y are left to make up the bulk of sales

Tesla has officially called time on its groundbreaking Model S and Model X electric vehicles, with Elon Musk sharing a photo that dates back to 2012 and the original production launch of the Model S at its Fremont factory on X.

Elon Musk said that custom orders of the Tesla Model S and X have “come to an end”, claiming that a small amount of global inventory is left for the vehicles. He signed off with: “We will have an official ceremony to mark the ending of an era. I love those cars.”

Musk announced that the company would stop producing both Model X and Model S during an earnings call at the beginning of the year, stating that the company was “moving into a future that is based on autonomy.”

However, the decision was also based on dwindling sales figures, as the two pioneering models – one a performance-orientated electric sedan and another a wild take on the mid-size SUV – had both experienced a lack of customer interest after the Model 3 and Model Y were introduced.

In fact, Tesla stopped reporting Model S and Model X numbers around 2020 when the Model Y arrived, instead lumping them into an “Other Models”, which also included the slow-selling Cybertruck.

As an illustration of those sales figures, Tesla delivered 1.6 million Model 3 and Model Y cars worldwide last year, while the “Other Models” category, which includes the Model S, Model X, Cybertruck, and Semi, totaled just 50,850 units, according to Inside EVs.

Analysis: Is Tesla giving up on EVs?

If you want to get hold of a Model S and Model X, you better get in quick, as Electrek reports that Tesla currently has approximately 295 new Model S units and 301 new Model X units left in global inventory — nearly all of them in the United States.

But perhaps more telling is the fact that Tesla doesn’t appear to be replacing these once-pioneering models, instead opting to dedicate the freed-up factory floor space for the assembly of Optimus robots.

Elon Musk has been vocal about the fact that his company is moving more towards autonomy and providing autonomous services, such as Robotaxis and humanoid robots, rather than focussing its attention on electric vehicles.

Unfortunately, this apparent lack of interest could well filter down to the Model 3 and Model Y that, despite making a resurgence at the beginning of 2026, have both fallen short of anticipated sales figures this year.

If Tesla wants to keep up with the increasing amount of EV competition, it needs exciting new cars that feature the ground-breaking spirit of the now-defunct originals.

But despite Musk's promise of "something cooler than a minivan", it is being left to China to make headlines with rapid charging speeds, monster EV battery ranges and innovative driving tech.

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