Model S Refresh - 2021 or 2022 Model Year?

[Evee]

Guys. There’s no effing 2022 model s. The year is 2021. It’s 2021. This is why “model years” are dumb. And no. They aren’t a thing a Tesla.

 

[Evee]

That is all true. And that last bit is relatively recent, they didn’t do that prior to 2019. For example, my P85D was built in December 2014 and was a 2014 model year.

The main bit that’s different from other auto manufacturers is that Tesla doesn‘t wait for model years to make hardware changes, even major ones. Case in point, a 2021 Model S built in late 2020 or early 2021 is a very different car than a 2021 Model S built in June 2021.

Tesla could’ve given the refresh models built in the last month a 2022 model year, but chose not to. Other manufacturers would’ve definitely done that.

My 12/23/2014 p85d is a 2014 Because it was made in 2014. The same car made on 12/31/14 is a 14 also and guess what happens on 1/1/2015 magically they are 2015 cars I can’t even believe there’s a discussion about this guys it’s been the same thing for years.

 

[ucmndd]

My 12/23/2014 p85d is a 2014 Because it was made in 2014. The same car made on 12/31/14 is a 14 also and guess what happens on 1/1/2015 magically they are 2015 cars I can’t even believe there’s a discussion about this guys it’s been the same thing for years.

Thanks for telling us how things used to be. If we were having this discussion back in 2014, it would be relevant.

However, for at least a couple years now, Tesla cars produced and delivered in Q4 have been the next model year (i.e. cars produced and delivered in Q4 2020 were "2021" model years).

 

[Evee]

Thanks for telling us how things used to be. If we were having this discussion back in 2014, it would be relevant.

However, for at least a couple years now, Tesla cars produced and delivered in Q4 have been the next model year (i.e. cars produced and delivered in Q4 2020 were "2021" model years).

Omfg the year that’s printed on the door is the cars year period. They never changed this. Zero Tesla’s say 2022 on the doors.

 

[ucmndd]

Omfg the year that’s printed on the door is the cars year period.

I can't tell if you're being deliberately obtuse or not.

The date printed on the door is the manufacturing date. The date encoded in the VIN is the model year. These can be different, and in fact are in the case I cited above (Q4 cars have been designated the following calendar year's model year for at least 2 years now).

 

[Evee]

Lol are there ANY other examples. No.

 

[MarcG]

Lol are there ANY other examples. No.

Certainly are. A friend of mine bought a Model 3 in late 2020. His VIN shows it to be a 2021 model (M character in the 10th position).

 

[CapeOne]

Omfg the year that’s printed on the door is the cars year period. They never changed this. Zero Tesla’s say 2022 on the doors.

You appear to be stuck in the past, in denial, or something. Since 2019, cars built by Tesla in Q4 have carried model years that were the year following the build year. Despite October, November and December 2019 build cars having been built in 2019, they were actually labeled as 2020 models. Despite October, November and December 2020 build cars having been built in 2020, they were actually labeled as 2021 models.

 

[ucmndd]

Lol are there ANY other examples. No.

ANY other examples excluding the approximately 280,000 cars Tesla produced in Q4 2019 and Q4 2020?

No, I suppose those 280,000 examples are the only ones I can come up with.

 

[msm859]

My 12/23/2014 p85d is a 2014 Because it was made in 2014. The same car made on 12/31/14 is a 14 also and guess what happens on 1/1/2015 magically they are 2015 cars I can’t even believe there’s a discussion about this guys it’s been the same thing for years.

My Model X I picked up on 12/22/19 X is a 2020 year model. Lots and Lots of manufacturers make "year" changes before the actual year.

 

[SoCalDude]

Certainly are. A friend of mine bought a Model 3 in late 2020. His VIN shows it to be a 2021 model (M character in the 10th position).

You need to use terms like Omfg like Evee or it isn't true.

 

[JBT66]

Tesla moved to October model years in 2019. Prior to that it switched on January 1st assembly.
It however doesn’t necessarily impact certain features or not.

 

[AvengerBB]

Lol are there ANY other examples. No.

Yes my Model X purchased in Dec 2019 was a 2020 Model Year.

All new model year cars go through various certifications and one of those is efficiency/range. Tesla strategically renames their models and/or model years to get official range changes. That year they happened to release a new battery and other improvements before end of 2019 so certified them as 2020 before the end of the calendar year.

 

[Uncle Paul]

I remember in 1964 when Ford released the new Mustang as a 1964 1/2 Model. These model years are flexible and fluid, depending on what the Marketing people want to claim.

 

[JeffR]

It's interesting that MotorTrend continues to refer to the current iteration of the Model S as a 2022 model (despite the title screenshot). Here's a YouTube video they posted today (8/27)

The 10th digit of the VIN identifies the model year per the manufacturer (see following table). It will be interesting to see if Tesla changes the model year code as we get into later months of this year.

 

[CapeOne]

It will be interesting to see if Tesla changes the model year code as we get into later months of this year.

If Tesla sticks with what they did in 2019 and 2020, cars built in Q4 2021 will be labeled as 2022 models.

 

[JeffR]

If Tesla sticks with what they did in 2019 and 2020, cars built in Q4 2021 will be labeled as 2022 models.

I'm leaning in that direction myself.

 

[Duke846]

Omfg the year that’s printed on the door is the cars year period. They never changed this. Zero Tesla’s say 2022 on the doors.

Not true. I got a 2020 model 3 in December of 2019.

 

[glide]

No model years guys

Completely false.

 

[glide]

So seems with MS it’s literally the year it’s produced in.

Also completely false.