Tesla's $25,000 EV Plan Is Back, And Now It's Cybertruck-Inspired
It has always been Tesla's plan to build affordable electric cars. Back in 2006, the company emphasized that it would use the profits generated from its early pricy Tesla models to lower the price of its future models. However, it failed to meet its initial goals. Over time, vehicles such as the Model 3 would decrease in price, but they remain far higher than the price tags the company originally promised.
According to Axios, Tesla wasn't all in on the affordable Tesla idea. Instead, stubborn CEO Musk was obsessed with self-driving robotaxis. Things changed after a secret meeting last year where Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, and others convinced Musk that producing an affordable Tesla was necessary if the company expected to hit its 50% annual growth target.
Later, when von Holzhausen showcased a concept design of the $25,000 "global car," Musk was all-in. The design exhibited a futuristic aesthetic reminiscent of the Tesla Cybertruck, complete with its signature sharp-cornered stainless-steel body. Musk loved the design, stating, "When one of these comes around a corner people will think they are seeing something from the future." But that does not mean the divisive CEO has abandoned his robotaxi dream.
The inexpensive EV will be manufactured alongside robotaxis
Axios reported that time and time again, those around Musk urged him to return focus on his original plan of making EV models cheaper to create a "global car." However, Musk was way too enthusiastic about robotaxis to care about anything else. Musk believed that early adopters of robotaxis would make up to $30,000 a year lending the car to others. He stated that these vehicles would become so prevalent that nobody would even need to own a car. The ambitious CEO wanted to pump out as many autotaxis as possible to make this happen, eventually landing on 20 million a year.
However, some internal debate slowed down the design process of a Tesla robotaxi. Musk was adamant that the robotaxi must have no steering wheels, pedals, or mirrors. Those around him warned him that due to regulations and the Full Self-Driving technology not being ready. Musk made it clear that he was not budging, proclaiming, "we are all in on autonomy."
A compromise was made at that secret meeting last year. Musk would get his robotaxi dream while the $25,000 car would also get developed. What convinced the CEO was that both vehicles could be built on the same assembly line using an ultra-automated manufacturing process. After he saw the Cybertruck-esque design for both vehicles, the ball got rolling.