Major 2021 Model X refresh pending [Update: Unveiled January 27, 2021]

[hipringles]

Hm. I have an order thats "estimated" dec 20th to 31st. I have waited 2 months so far, might be worth just delaying till March...

 

[EL0NTRK]

Delivery for my 2021 Model X was scheduled for this afternoon. I unmatched from the VIN this morning. My sales advisor said I will not be matched to another Model X until March 2021.

Through this forum, I knew that Europe and Canada would not receive Model X deliveries until March 2021. This is the first I've heard of a United States order not being rematched to a VIN until March 2021.

When did you order and when you got the VIN assigned?

 

[USAFJAG]

Hm. I have an order thats "estimated" dec 20th to 31st. I have waited 2 months so far, might be worth just delaying till March...

They then followed up and said if I chose option 2 there wouldn’t be any deliveries to March. I said on the website it shows 2-5 weeks for Canada and I was told the website is wrong and they strongly encourage me to take the car after it’s fixed because the March car will be identical to today but I would lose some incentives .

@hipringles, above is a post from @crash1977mtl in this same thread, where his Sales Advisor says the Model X that will be delivered to him in March 2021 will be identical.

 

[USAFJAG]

When did you order and when you got the VIN assigned?

I was assigned the VIN in mid-November. My original order was in mid-October.

 

[wdolson]

The 4680 cells are already here, now. The Fremont facility makes quite a few every day for months and months, and LG Chem has announced they're providing Tesla with a new battery that is 5x the size and 6x the energy (same specs as 4680). Am I correct that the S and X are using the same laptop batteries since 2012? It's not a good look when the $35K 2019 Model 3 has superior battery cells compared to the latest S and X.

My guess is that the S and X will get the 4680 batteries in January with higher range and speed, along with heat pump for cold weather range, and maybe a faster MCU for playing games during FSD. I don't think the 4680 cells will be part of a body redesign this year for S or X, probably just a pack swap.

The form factor of the cells in the Model S/X are the same as the 2012 Model S, but the chemistry has changed several times. At least three by my count. I'm not sure if the chemistry of the Model 3/Y cells is different from the Model S/X or not. Elon has said that the Model S/X were not getting the Model 3/Y cells because they can't support the energy draw needed for the Performance S and X. It may just be because the 2170 cells can't be cooled fast enough with the older cooling system.

The 4680s will support a new cooling system that can draw heat away from the cells fast enough to support hard driving with the high performance cars.

Tesla might be having LG Chem make their design for the 4680s to supplement what their own factories can build. Tesla is obviously planning more demand for 4680s in the near future. They may be calling on LG Chem to keep supply up while Panasonic converts production from 18650s to 4680s. When both LG Chem and Panasonic are making 4680s, that will open the door for cells for the Semi, Roadster, and Cybertruck as well as Model S/X production. Right now Panasonic's production of 18650 is only enough to support Model S/X.

 

[garyhartaz]

The channel map is screwed up. Channels labeled wrong - for example, to listen to Holly, tune to EW Radio. (See below) I’ve got at least a dozen channels like that - have to tune to Yacht Rock to listen to Pop Rocks or some nonsense. Does yours do the same?

Can’t tune by channel number either.

Both of these are things that work in every other XM radio - and even worked in the Model X before this new interface.

The actual audio part works fine but they’ve got a serious problem with how the channel map works .... and it’s been months with zero resolution. I’ve opened cases with both XM and Tesla and the answer is basically - “it tunes in channels”. Doesn’t really matter whether they’re the right ones or not, apparently.

View attachment 613413

So from the interface, yes I get the same issue you have. I pressed Yacht Rock and Hallmark came up. Here is the real kicker though, when I used voice command and asked it to tune to Yacht Rock, it went right to Yacht Rock.

 

[AMP-MX]

Next match in March 21 doesn’t seem too strange- all capacity in December is probably spoken for (on paper at least, will probably get someone else’s “unmatch” matched to you in the last week of December haha) and March is the 3rd month of the next quarter when they align the US deliveries...

so much speculation here, isn’t battery day speculation vs. outcome still fresh enough in everyone’s mind?!? Haha

 

[pmccut]

I can't decide what to do with my order Estimate is late December delivery. Ordered 11/1 (10 minutes from Fremont factory).

If there's no refresh I don't want to wait till March, but really don't want to miss a big refresh by a couple months...

The 5k price jump in Europe just doesn't seem to make sense. Wish they would justify why this is publicly.

 

[ThomasD]

Will the new battery cell packs be able to be retro fitted into older cars. Say the older cars need a replacement pack. If not then someone will have to make cells for both older and newer cars

 

[Jetpad]

Isn't the model S skateboard shared with model X? It would seem that as soon as they release the plaid S, they would want to switch all the S and X models over to use the new structural packs to keep things simple.

 

[DanCar]

I can't decide what to do with my order

Ask your sales person what are the chances of an update / refresh?

 

[hipringles]

The sales people know less than most people on this forum

 

[wdolson]

Will the new battery cell packs be able to be retro fitted into older cars. Say the older cars need a replacement pack. If not then someone will have to make cells for both older and newer cars

With older cars they replace the pack with the same pack that was in there if they have to. Most of the time they give you a loaner pack while they refurbish the one you had.

It's unknown whether the new packs will be compatible with the old. I suspect not because the new packs will likely have a different cooling system.

Isn't the model S skateboard shared with model X? It would seem that as soon as they release the plaid S, they would want to switch all the S and X models over to use the new structural packs to keep things simple.

The S and X do share the same skateboard. There will probably be a Plaid X too.

In the past when introducing new cells, the Performance cars got them first, then they percolated into the rest of the S/X line as supply came online.

 

[testarossa]

Who knows when the new model x will be out. Hopefully it's not just a refresh, or they will continue to lose luxury market share, there needs to be a complete overhaul of the platform. I for one will not get another tesla after my lease runs out this month which is unfortunate because I really wanted to stay with them, but the old architecture, lack of tech options (comparing to what Mercedes Porsche and Audi offer), and fit and finish is not acceptable at a $100k+ level. Personally, I think Elon is focused more on Model Y and truck production to put extra $$ on a small market segment.

 

[macgeng]

I heard they are discontinuing the Model X. Not a money maker for them.

 

[henderrj]

I heard they are discontinuing the Model X. Not a money maker for them.

this is a discussion we've had many times on this board. Not a chance, to sum up. there's still a lot of money in it, and it's a halo car. most Tesla owners would love a model x. Not all, but a lot of them. Besides, those falcon wing doors are just too cool! I know, I know. Lots of people think they're impractical. but the few times I've had an X loner I was amazed at how useful they are.

 

[K2500Z71]

I thought they were upgrading the paint shop in Fremont. That alone might be enough to account for the delay until March. Perhaps the refresh content will just be better paint jobs.

 

[wdolson]

Who knows when the new model x will be out. Hopefully it's not just a refresh, or they will continue to lose luxury market share, there needs to be a complete overhaul of the platform. I for one will not get another tesla after my lease runs out this month which is unfortunate because I really wanted to stay with them, but the old architecture, lack of tech options (comparing to what Mercedes Porsche and Audi offer), and fit and finish is not acceptable at a $100k+ level. Personally, I think Elon is focused more on Model Y and truck production to put extra $$ on a small market segment.

If you aren't buying a Performance model you need to get a completely loaded X to get over $100K these days. The starting price is a little under $80K.

Tesla's goal has always been to advance sustainable transport. To achieve that goal they need to focus on cheaper, mass produced vehicles.

this is a discussion we've had many times on this board. Not a chance, to sum up. there's still a lot of money in it, and it's a halo car. most Tesla owners would love a model x. Not all, but a lot of them. Besides, those falcon wing doors are just too cool! I know, I know. Lots of people think they're impractical. but the few times I've had an X loner I was amazed at how useful they are.

A lot of people would never touch an X because of those doors. For people who don't want to announce to the world they have an unusual car, they never want to open those doors in a public place. Plus they are complex and finicky which means they will break at some point.

I thought they were upgrading the paint shop in Fremont. That alone might be enough to account for the delay until March. Perhaps the refresh content will just be better paint jobs.

Paint has been one of the biggest complaints with Tesla from the beginning.

 

[cusetownusa]

A lot of people would never touch an X because of those doors. For people who don't want to announce to the world they have an unusual car, they never want to open those doors in a public place. Plus they are complex and finicky which means they will break at some point.

I fall into that category...while they may be nice to have for ease of entry/exit, they are a bit too flashy for me and probably aren't worth the extra costs it adds to the car (at least for me). Any idea on how much they add to the cost of the Model X? If significant, it would be nice if they offered them as an option.

 

[Bigriver]

A lot of people would never touch an X because of those doors. For people who don't want to announce to the world they have an unusual car, they never want to open those doors in a public place.

That’s how I felt prior to getting my X. And then I decided other advantages outweigh the flashy door issue. For the first year, I was extremely self conscious about the doors and avoided at all cost opening them in public. But now, 3 years in, I’m totally over that. I can count on one hand, with fingers left over, the times that anyone else even appeared to notice. People just aren’t as concerned with what I’m driving as I had thought.

I fall into that category...while they may be nice to have for ease of entry/exit, they are a bit too flashy for me and probably aren't worth the extra costs it adds to the car (at least for me). Any idea on how much they add to the cost of the Model X? If significant, it would be nice if they offered them as an option.

Tesla is obsessively into reducing the number of options to simplify their manufacturing process to keep costs down. They even put hardware on the SR version of the model 3, which isn’t activated, because it is cheaper to not make the different variants. Further on the model 3, they once were going to have a non-upgraded interior, but that also was dropped in the name of simplification and reducing costs from having too many variants. So I think there is 0% chance that FWD or not would become an option.