Will Tesla build the base Model Roadster first?

[Brentt]

Opinions. Will Tesla build the base model roadster first, or will it be like the Model3 where a premium version is offered first, and then the base version later? I'm seriously considering making a deposit, but I don't want to find out two years from now the only version available is $300K and the $200K version won't be available until much later.

 

[Rockster]

It's a virtual certainty that they'll make the Founder's Edition first. After that, I would expect them to produce the higher end versions before the base models. That said, they're not going to sell 500,000 roadsters like they did the Model 3. I don't think it will be very long between the most expensive version and the least expensive version.

 

[MP3Mike]

It's a virtual certainty that they'll make the Founder's Edition first.

Yep, Founder's edition is going to come first. Which only makes sense, after all the people that have reserved one have already fully paid for it.

 

[Brentt]

I forgot about the founders edition, for sure they will be built first. How many are there? At one time I thought it was limited to 1000, Seems like they should have them filled by now.

I imagine the roadster will be similar to other halo cars like the Dodge Viper of which production was less than a thousand units a year. If so, delivery of a base model could run another year.

 

[scottm]

I remember some of the model S founder edition car purchasers being a little miffed not getting them first before other regular-reservation folks.

Tesla likes to deliver the expensive ones first, in every case. Fully expect Roadster will follow ...

 

[stevejust]

I remember some of the model S founder edition car purchasers being a little miffed not getting them first before other regular-reservation folks.

Tesla likes to deliver the expensive ones first, in every case. Fully expect Roadster will follow ...

I don't. I don't remember any regular Ses or Xes being delivered before the Founders' And Signature Series. Do you have any kind of source for this?

But, if you want to go back to 2008 -- the Founders' and Signature Roadsters delivered then were not where the Roadster ultimately topped out. After the Founders' and Signature Roadsters, came the Roadster Sport, with an eventual price tag at almost $170k depending on options. (This is something that everyone seems to forget-- how much a fully loaded original Roadster could actually be.)

So, because Tesla has constantly improved everything over time, from the OG Roadster, to the S (Founders' and Signature top end was a P85. Then there were P85+s, and now we're on P100Ds, just like the signature Xses were P90Ds, not P100Ds.) And the 3s started out with the LR RWD, but now we've got the AWDs and the P3Ds -- it's hard to know exactly what's going to happen with the 2020 Roadster.