The Tesla lineup was always intended to dump a high tech product on the market that is advanced enough to not need any updates for a few years longer than your standard car’s refresh cycle, but some have complained that the automaker’s wares are growing a bit too stale—particularly its earlier efforts, the Model S sedan and Model X SUV. These larger offerings are the oldest vehicles on sale from Tesla, having seen only minor updates over the years; the S, for example, is nearly 13 years old. That could change later in 2025 with updates to both models, if a guy on a podcast is supposed to be believed.
It’s not just some guy on some podcast, however. The quote comes from Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy on the Ride the Lightning podcast. He claims “The upgrade [to the Model S and X] a few years ago was bigger than most people thought in terms of architecture and structure. We’ll give it some love later this year. Everyone here has a little place in their heart for S/X. They are not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Those updates a few years back he’s referring to included some styling tweaks, particularly to the S, along with some under-the-skin changes, most of which would be considered equivalent to a typical mid-cycle refresh, not a total redesign. There was also the addition of the super powerful, super quick Plaid variants of both the S and X. So, what are these fresh changes we expect, with what little information we have? Well for the Model S, beyond standard improvements to range and the interior materials, we expect the turn indicators to move to the steering wheel, as they have on the Model 3 and Y, and on the exterior there is sure to be at least one, if not two full light bars, front and rear to mimic the recent updates to the Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. The Model S will have fresh competition from Volvo’s coming ES90 sedan that debuts in March, expected to offer more than 400 miles of range, but the Volvo isn’t likely to be as quick and sporty as the Tesla.
The Model X is where we could potentially see the biggest and most dramatic changes, namely the long overdue elimination of the troublesome power-operated “falcon wing” rear doors on the SUV. It’s possible Tesla could simplify the vehicle with traditional rear doors, however, retooling for that could be cost prohibitive and it may be more affordable, and better marketing, to keep the funky door setup as is and make changes elsewhere. Those other changes likely include improvements to the interior materials, a moving of the indicators, and an exterior refresh in line with the Model 3 and Model Y look with light bars front and rear.
Tesla is now in sales decline in the U.S., rapidly losing market share and sales to new competitors, and the company now has to deal with a very political CEO. Like him or not, it means more spotlight and more potential for backlash. Updating the S and X could improve sales of both vehicles, which surely generate higher profits than Tesla’s more affordable cars, but not enough to reverse Tesla’s unfortunate trends. Still, it should make for better product on the road, and we look forward to testing them out when they go on sale.