Tesla Builds Final Model S and Model X at Fremont as Line Pivots to Optimus

The last Tesla Model S and Model X rolled off the Fremont production line on Saturday May 9, 2026, closing the chapter on Tesla's two oldest nameplates. Custom orders ended in late March 2026 and regular production wound down in early April, leaving an invitation-only Signature Edition run of roughly 350 cars — 250 Model S Plaid and 100 Model X Plaid — reserved for long-time Tesla customers (Drive Tesla Canada, Not a Tesla App).

End of an Era

The Model S launched in June 2012 and reshaped what an electric car could be. The Model X followed in September 2015, bringing falcon-wing doors and a seven-seat layout that no rival has cleanly matched. Together, they carried Tesla through the years before the Model 3 and Model Y turned the company into a volume manufacturer.

The Signature Edition send-off was meant to be a celebration. Instead, Tesla postponed the delivery event with little notice, leaving attendees who had travelled to Fremont without their cars and without a clear reschedule date (Electrek).

Why Tesla Made the Call

The numbers had been pointing to this outcome for some time. Combined Model S and Model X deliveries fell below 19,000 units in 2025, roughly 1% of Tesla's global volume. On the Q4 2025 earnings call in late January 2026, Elon Musk framed the wind-down as an "honorable discharge" for the two cars and confirmed the Fremont line would be converted to build Optimus humanoid robots, targeting 1 million units per year (EVXL, Electrek).

The pivot is consistent with Tesla's stated direction: capital and floor space follow the highest-volume opportunity, and at current run rates the S and X were no longer competitive uses of either.

What This Means for European Buyers

For the EU market, the practical impact is smaller than the symbolism. Both cars have been Europe-rare for years, sold only in left-hand drive and almost never seen on UK or Irish roads. The flow of LHD Plaid imports — already a niche channel via specialist dealers and grey importers — will now dry up entirely as Fremont stops feeding it.

Existing inventory is the only remaining path to a new S or X in Europe, and that pool is finite: Tesla confirmed in early April that only around 600 cars remained unsold globally before the Signature run closed the books (Electrek). Once those clear, European buyers wanting a flagship Tesla will have to choose between waiting for whatever replaces them or moving to the second-hand market, where Plaid values are likely to firm up as supply becomes fixed.

For owners, parts and service continue under Tesla's standard support obligations. But the Model S and Model X, as new cars in Europe, are effectively over.

Update: 2026-05-12

Tesla has set a new date for the postponed Signature Edition delivery event: Wednesday, 20 May 2026, again at the Fremont factory (45500 Fremont Boulevard, California). The original 12 May celebration was pulled with three days' notice after Elon Musk joined a US delegation to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping, where talks covered trade, artificial intelligence and export controls (Teslarati). The event slips by exactly one week; the 350-vehicle Signature run, the venue and the format remain unchanged.