Tesla Drops Lowest-Price Model S
CARS.COM — Tesla is discontinuing its cheapest versions of the Model S luxury sedan, the rear-wheel-drive 60 and all-wheel-drive 60D with the 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack.
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The models can be ordered until April 16, according to the email announcement, after which the cheapest Model S version will be the 75 with rear-wheel drive and a 75-kwh battery at $75,700 to start (all prices include destination).
The overall Model S lineup will drop from seven to five versions. Dropping the 60 ($69,200) and 60D ($74,200) also leaves more spread in the lineup between the Model S and the new Model 3 entry compact sedan due later this year at $35,000.
Tesla wrote in its announcement that the 60 and 60D were being dropped to “simplify the order process” and that “most customers ended up buying an equivalent to the Model S 75 kwh.”
The 60’s battery pack was capable of 75 kwh but was software-limited to 60 kwh. For a $7,000 fee, Tesla would upgrade the software for a Model S 60 owner over the air to unlock the full 75-kwh capacity. But getting an equivalent 75 model in the first place was a $6,500 premium. A Model S 60 has a rated range of 210 miles; the 75 is rated at 249.
