Tesla held a signature edition delivery event at its Fremont, California factory marking the end of Model S and Model X production. The final cars rolled out as highly specified collector pieces: the Model S wore 21-inch Valkyrie wheels with carbon ceramic brakes finished in gold, while the Model X came on 22-inch wheels in a six-seat configuration, with gold Plaid badging, paint-matched door handles, and an Alcantara suede headliner. Each car carried a numbered signature badge inside. The event drew buyers, Tesla employees, and a handful of outside media to the factory floor for what amounted to a genuine farewell ceremony for two vehicles that spent more than a decade defining what a premium electric car could be.
The Model S entered production in 2012, and the Model X followed in 2015. Together they carried Tesla through years when the company had no profitable vehicle and the Model 3 was still years from launch. The S in particular reshaped the premium sedan segment and prompted BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche to accelerate their own EV programs in ways those companies were not yet planning to. Both cars received regular hardware updates over their runs, including the 2021 interior refresh that introduced the yoke steering wheel and the portrait-oriented infotainment display, but the fundamental architecture remained largely unchanged. That longevity is itself notable: no other vehicle in the Tesla lineup has had as long a production run without a full-generation replacement. The Cybertruck, Model 3, and Model Y were all built on newer platforms with substantially different manufacturing logic.
On the floor at Fremont, the new colors introduced at the event drew attention alongside the signature S and X deliveries. Marine blue, a very dark shade, appeared on both Model 3 and Model Y variants, along with frost blue paired with a white interior on the Model 3 Performance. The new Model Y performance variant in ultra red also made an appearance. A Cybercab was present at the event, which attendees were able to view but not enter. Tesla representatives at the event referenced future products without naming them, noting that the next chapter of the company's lineup would be significant. A track ride in the facility gave attendees a physical demonstration of the current performance cars. The event also displayed Model 3 Performance cars with new color and trim combinations, including a carbon accent package with matching black badges.
Bottom line: The Model S and X mattered in a way that is easy to underestimate now that there are dozens of credible electric vehicles on the market. Before these cars existed, the argument that EVs were slow, short-range, and undesirable was not wrong, it was just the state of the technology. Tesla proved otherwise, and the rest of the industry eventually followed. Ending production here while hinting at new unannounced products suggests Tesla is clearing the slate for something different at the top of the lineup. Whether whatever replaces them earns the same reputation is the open question.