Elon Musk says Tesla will discontinue two popular models to shift to making robots
What was once a vision of the future is always destined to become a fragment of the past at some point, yet few expected it to happen quite as quickly as this for electric vehicles as Tesla announces a change of priorities.
While electric vehicles are far more common and accessible now, Tesla was once one of the few companies leading the line for the more environmentally friendly alternative, preaching towards the future of tech at the same time.
This has not only made Tesla the most valuable car company in the world but also pushed Elon Musk towards overwhelming riches, with the tech mogul recently surging close to a net worth of $800 billion that could only grow exponentially once he receives a record breaking pay package from Tesla.
Part of the conditions that would lead him to those riches though depends on the success of Tesla's growing robotics division, and it appears as if Musk has made a tough choice to spark rapid growth that might upset some existing customers.
Advert
As reported by NBC News, the Elon Musk revealed on Wednesday, January 28, that Tesla would begin to phase out two of its most popular car models, with both the Model S and Model X being discontinued in the near future.
These were both among the first to catapult Tesla into the mainstream, bridging the gap between vehicle or tech enthusiasts and the average car owner, so their project demise paints an intriguing picture for the company's path forward.
Taking their place will be an increased emphasis on robotics, most notably the ramped up production of Tesla's Optimus robot that has already displayed eerily humanistic tendencies in demonstrations so far.
"We expect to wind down S and X production next quarter and basically stop production," Musk outlined during a call with investors, adding that while it's 'slightly sad' for the decision to take place, "it's part of our overall shift to an autonomous future."
Key to this is the transformation of an existing Tesla factory in Fremont, California, into one that focuses on manufacturing Optimus robots — with the plant itself being operated autonomously.
Optimus robots are still yet to be released to the public so it's unclear whether this bold move will end up a successful one for Tesla, but it's also placing great emphasis on its Robotaxi service which recently launched last year following a testing period.