Why the Tesla Model S 60 and 60D Were Silently Discontinued

Mar 27, 2017 12:30 PM EDT | BC Tabotabo

The Tesla Model S 60 and 60D are the two cheapest models available from the Silicon Valley EV maker. They will officially be discontinued and no longer available to order starting on April 16, 2017.

According to a report by Auto Blog, the cheapest Model S available will soon be the $74,500 75D. That's an increase of $6,500 over the current Model S 60. This increase in the base price is because the Model S 60 and 60D will soon be phased out. This will make the AWD 75D the new entry-level option.

Apparently, Tesla is doing this in order to simplify the ordering process for their customers. The electric vehicle manufacturer has allegedly determined that most of their customers want to buy the 75kWh. In order to simplify things, the company will be removing the 60 and 60D from the lineup and the two models will no longer be available beginning on April 16 of this year.

According to another report by CNET Road Show, all Tesla Model S 60 electric vehicles are apparently already equipped with the 75 kWh battery pack. The extra 15 kWh is reserved via software and buyers just need to pay extra to unlock the full capacity. This will effectively transform the Model S 60 into an S 75 via software.

But what could be the real reason the Silicon Valley company is doing this? Reports suggest that it is very likely that the company is doing this in order to increase sales for the upcoming Tesla Model 3. However, the newest entry won't be coming out until around mid-2018. In addition, while the starting price of the Model 3 is only $35,000, it will easily come to the $60,000 range with all of the options and upgrades.

Additionally, with all of the instability surrounding the Tesla stock, it has also been reported that the company may want the option for higher revenue from all new buyers. While this has not been confirmed, the announcement to discontinue the 60 and 60D coincide with this occurrence.

The Tesla Model S 60 and 60D are still available now. For those who want to save several thousand dollars with the entry level models, you can still get one until the 16th of April!

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