Model S 2.0 - Next major update, wants and needs? Design?

[McHoffa]

I'm convinced that either at the Model 3 unveiling or closer to launch, the Model S will get both visual and options upgrades. My thinking is just that the Model S is going to have to offer a lot above and beyond the Model 3 to justify customers paying double, and the styling, even though it's still gorgeous, will eventually be outdated in some ways (mostly the nosecone). Unless they make the Model 3 look cheaper, I don't think the Model S will sell as well after M3 (unless they simply don't offer a performance M3).

The one option I'm really hoping for when I am ready to buy is air conditioned seats, as well as standard rear heated seats. Coming from a <$30k 2011 Kia Optima that has heated seats throughout and AC ventilated seats in the front, it will be a bummer to not even have the AC option and have to pay $1000 to get heated seats in the back. Since the Model X now offers ventilated seats, we can probably expect it for the S.

I'd also love to see a front camera that works while parking. Cameras are cheap enough, so why not?

Any particular options other people are missing from previous cars or hoping for in general?

I erased the nosecone, making it similar to the X, and shaved a little off the back fender top.

 

[cytranic]

I dont think the Model S needs a design change. Its still very new. A lot of people were convinced when the Model X came out that the Model S would get a redesign. So far that has not been the case. What convinces you that they will change the Model S on the heels of a major announcement?

 

[ecarfan]

This has been discussed in multiple other threads...

 

[luvnMyTS]

I'm convinced that either at the Model 3 unveiling or closer to launch, the Model S will get both visual and options upgrades. My thinking is just that the Model S is going to have to offer a lot above and beyond the Model 3 to justify customers paying double, and the styling, even though it's still gorgeous, will eventually be outdated in some ways (mostly the nosecone). Unless they make the Model 3 look cheaper, I don't think the Model S will sell as well after M3 (unless they simply don't offer a performance M3).

The one option I'm really hoping for when I am ready to buy is air conditioned seats, as well as standard rear heated seats. Coming from a <$30k 2011 Kia Optima that has heated seats throughout and AC ventilated seats in the front, it will be a bummer to not even have the AC option and have to pay $1000 to get heated seats in the back. Since the Model X now offers ventilated seats, we can probably expect it for the S.

I'd also love to see a front camera that works while parking. Cameras are cheap enough, so why not?

Any particular options other people are missing from previous cars or hoping for in general?

I erased the nosecone, making it similar to the X, and shaved a little off the back fender top.

Not sure where this photo came frame, but that nose looks hideous! Looks like someone slapped a set of lips on the front of the car!

 

[Electric700]

...

The one option I'm really hoping for when I am ready to buy is air conditioned seats, as well as standard rear heated seats. Coming from a <$30k 2011 Kia Optima that has heated seats throughout and AC ventilated seats in the front, it will be a bummer to not even have the AC option and have to pay $1000 to get heated seats in the back. Since the Model X now offers ventilated seats, we can probably expect it for the S.

I'd also love to see a front camera that works while parking. Cameras are cheap enough, so why not?

...

I am definitely in favor of a front camera especially for parking situations. Sometimes the sensors do not detect parking barriers. A 360 degree camera system would be even better, and I know other cars have those.

AC seats would be interesting. Since I think they'd save energy and help the car's range, I would probably get them if they were offered as an option.

 

[eyespii]

The design of the model S still looks pretty fresh, even after 4 years IMO. I'd say no chance we see a model S update at the model 3 unveil in March - I'm sure Franz and his team have enough to do just with the M3. Plus, think about how many people around the country still haven't even seen a model S before? Whenever I drive my car out even to the inland empire, I get a bunch of gawkers and people even taking photos of my car.

The low-hanging fruit for the inevitable exterior design refresh would be the skeumorphic nosecone though. Maybe a little less chrome too. But I don't think we'll see anything until after M3 deliveries.

 

[Super_Popular]

It's time for a refresh. I'd like to be able to see out the windshield without having to bend down and more room in the drivers seat.

 

[McHoffa]

Not sure where this photo came frame, but that nose looks hideous! Looks like someone slapped a set of lips on the front of the car!

I just covered over the MS nosecone with X styling quickly. Not that this would be a design that would pass, but people said the nosecone was ugly, and people say the X nose is ugly. I definitely don't think it will look like this, but I bet they do away with the faux grill nosecone.

360º cameras would be great, though I assume the only way to display would be 180º at a time, either front or back. I'd also love to see something similar to Honda's LaneWatch cameras for when you turn on the turn signal. Again, these are features on sub $30k cars, so I am starting to expect them as standard on a $70k+ car

 

[P85DBeast]

I really don't think the MS needs to be updated because to me it still makes some of the other competitors look outdated such the Prius

which in my opinion really needs to be updated!!!!!!!:cursing:

 

[Super_Popular]

I really don't think the MS needs to be updated because to me it still makes some of the other competitors look outdated such the Prius View attachment 108662 which in my opinion really needs to be updated!!!!!!!:cursing:

That's a $20K car, the Model S is a $100K+ car....it's time for an update with new, better features.

 

[Cottonwood]

Long overdue is to put a spike in the vampire's heart.

The standby power draw of the Model S is like a desktop computer. A redesign needs to be done to make it more in the range of a laptop, tablet, or cellphone. Change the 20-40 Watts of standby draw to a few Watts or less. Many monitoring devices work within such power budgets...

 

[WMAC]

They are still production constrained and will be long after the release of the Model 3. A refresh will happen when they see a sustained dip in demand.

 

[CHG-ON]

Six years is pretty long life for a style design. I bet they will do an easy freshening. It can't take that many resources to redesign the front bumper. Based on all that I have read, it seems like that is the only area of contention from a design POV. I don't mind the nose cone. But I don't particularly like it either.

 

[calisnow]

Features should be updated - there are numerous areas ripe for improvement (ie seats, better autopilot hardware, etc.)

But style is eternal. Personally I'm glad they haven't changed the body style. When you have a good style it doesn't need to change except for marketing reasons - and the auto industry is littered with examples:

1 - Lamborghini Gallardo - the first and best year of its design was 2004, when the nose flowed as a piece with the rest of the car. Every update since then until the end of the Gallardo's very long model cycle simply made it look like a 7th grader began doodling on someone's pure, gorgeous original design by ruining the proportions.
2 - Chris Bangle's original 2002 BMW 7 series design - a decade ahead of its time. Traditionalists cried foul and the design got watered down, making it less effective - not a classic BMW like the E38 it replaced nor truly in the future like Bangle's vision.
3 - Mercedes W211 E series, 2003 - 2009 I believe. They updated the nose in 2006 for no reason other than to "refresh" it and they ruined the lines of the original design - turning it into a mish-mash of angles and curves.

I sincerely hope Tesla does not succumb to the trend of screwing around with a design mid-cycle just for the sake of marketing. You could argue they need to get rid of the dated "language" element of the fake air intake in the front - but I hope they don't mess with the proportions or lines.

 

[jlewisthe3rd]

Aside from anyone who doesn't actually own a Model S, why would anyone who owns one want a redesign/refresh? I really don't understand the thinking behind this...Tesla just sold an internal record of Model S's in Q4 2015, if you "refresh/redesign" you are doing to all 57K+ new owners that the Autopilot did to all the Pre-AP owners...which is taking a big steaming pile of crap on them and their money by making what they bought essentially irrelevant and making the resale value plummet.

The ONLY saving grace for all owners is the fact that they did NOT change the appearance so to the common person a "Tesla Model S" retains the same appeal and respect no matter what the year or trim, which was a genius move on Tesla's part. As soon as they change the looks of the car they take that away and now all 200k+ owners world wide will lose that respect the same way the ICE vehicles that change designs with model years do...."Oh you got a Tesla, oh but thats the OLD Tesla".

Please focus on refining and mass producing the X and coming up with great designs for the Model 3 the single most important car of Teslas future....

 

[calisnow]

I don't think they have any incentive to change the body style - as jlewis said the sales are growing at a rapid pace and there is much innovation coming down the pike which can keep encouraging sales - full autonomy, increased range, better interior, etc.

 

[luvnMyTS]

While they could have done a better job with the nose cone, I still think it looks a thousand times better than what they did to the Model X. That nose just looks wrong. I like that the Model S looks like any other car in terms of features (Grille (nose cone), normal sedan style and proportions, etc). The Model X mostly follows the same theme except for that front end. The Model S is a Tesla styled sedan that doesn't say "look at me, I'm different, I'm electric" like an i3 does or a Prius does or the Bolt does. The Model X took a step in that direction.

The car is still ONLY 3 1/2 years into its cycle. Far from being in desperate need of a refresh. 6 to 8 years for premium brands is about normal. Only desperate car makers redesign their car every two or three years because they can't sell them, so they have to keep changing them. Tesla doesn't have that problem. Don't mess with a good thing.

Features, Tesla already has more technological features than any other car on the planet. It will continue to improve in that area, regardless of a design change or not.

Model 3 is Tesla's primary concern right now. In 3 years when that's in production, the Model S will be in it's 6th full year and then due for Tesla to start working on some updates to the design to be released a year or two later.

All this talk of a redesign doesn't help Tesla. It's not going to happen people. Get over it. It takes millions and millions of dollars for even the smallest design change and a complete rework of the production line. That's not on Tesla's list of priorities right now. All this talk does is potentially keep possible buyers from acting now, thinking that the car is due to change any time. Can't tell you how many threads I've read where people said "I'm waiting to place my order after 01/01/2016, because the design is certainly going to change". What would the production numbers have been like if those people went ahead an ordered their cars? Maybe they would have it their 52,000 goal. Maybe then the stock price wouldn't have dropped, costing all investors money. Now what, 01/01/2016 came and went and the Design Studio still shows the exact same car at the exact same prices. Do they keep waiting for this change that's not going to happen for another 3-5 years?

Enjoy the car you have. It's still a beautiful car as it is. And enjoy all the updates that magically get uploaded to the car every month or two to "freshen" up the feel of the car for all existing owners.

 

[Lonnie123]

At this early in the game I still the Model S is "new" in terms of its styling, it isnt like a Civic or a Corolla that moves hundreds of thousands of units a year... The Model S can afford several more years of sales before people are seeing them on a daily basis, especially in certain parts of the country

I dont foresee a major redesign until after the 3 is released and production is ramped up and steady. MAYBE they update the nose to match the X, but even that is speculative.

 

[calisnow]

All this talk of a redesign doesn't help Tesla. It's not going to happen people. Get over it. It takes millions and millions of dollars for even the smallest design change and a complete rework of the production line. That's not on Tesla's list of priorities right now.

You're talking logic. Falcon doors would not presumably be on a priority list either when they had the Model 3 to worry about - yet we got them. I agree I don't think the body is changing in any major way but the nosecone is a likely candidate for a change at some point imho.

 

[WMAC]

Here's a story to illustrate how little they need to change the design: Before my mother-in-law had seen my car, she was walking in a parking lot with my father-in-law in their home town - not a big town, but, not Po-dunk either. She saw a Model S and stopped dead in her tracks and said, "oh my, that car is gorgeous, what is it?" My FIL replied, "It must be that new Buick." She got closer and looked at the back and read the word Tesla and realized what it was.

As someone else mentioned, most people around the world have never seen a Model S in person. The potential market hasn't even come close to becoming depleted. There is no reason for a body re-design for at least another year. The demand is still very high and there is no pressure to change.