‘Tesla’ Selling Cheaper ‘Model S’; Not That Cheap Though

When “Tesla” unveiled the “Model 3,” the world rejoiced. Finally, an electric vehicle that performs phenomenally well and equipped with all of the features that makes the vehicles of the California-based company so unique, yet without the exorbitant price. Since the “Model 3” won’t be available for a while yet, “Tesla” is releasing a cheaper version of their “Model S”. As the Los Angeles Times notes, though, it’s not actually all that affordable.

The “Tesla Model S” is one of the most highly-praised electric supercars in the world, but the luxury version comes at a standard price of over $100,000. It’s essentially marketed to affluent individuals who want luxury and environmentally-conscious driving in one. The cheaper “Model S 60” that “Tesla” is set on selling will have less power and speed than its more expensive counterpart, but much of the current features will still be included.

The “Model S 60” will have a price tag of $66,000; not at all that cheap when compared to something like the “BMW i3,” which sits at $42,000. The all-wheel drive version is offered for $71,000.

Even with the reduced speed, though, the “Model S 60” will still have an impressive driving range of over 200 miles per charge. The car can also accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, and it can reach top speeds of over 130 mph. Comparatively speaking, this still makes the “Model S” offshoot a match against some of the most powerful diesel or gas performance vehicles in the market.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the cheaper versions could also be a response to the low sales of the “Tesla Model S” for Q1 of 2016. Combined with the production issues that continued to plague “Tesla” by relying on third-party manufacturers, the price simply made the vehicles unattractive to even wealthy buyers.