Tesla exec. talks vehicle affordability, production costs, and robotaxis at conference

At the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference, Tesla executive Martin Viecha recently gave investors an overview of the company’s next five years. He outlined the most important future trends and metrics and what to anticipate regarding more affordable electric vehicles, robotaxi service, and other prospective new goods.

Viecha said the company eventually wants to offer a more affordable vehicle on the road but declined to provide a specific timeline for the project.

Currently, the least expensive offering in the company’s portfolio starts at $46,000 in the US. The most popular model, the Model Y, starts at $66,000.

Viecha noted that Tesla‘s cost per car had declined drastically over the past several years, dropping from $84,000 in 2017 to just $36,000 per vehicle in recent quarters. He also said there is still room for improvement and that a new generation platform developed for the company’s robotaxi could make the difference.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said he was “embarrassed” by the high price of the company’s electric vehicles and has hinted at developing a reasonably priced car with a price point near $25,000. Other projects sidelined those plans, and Musk has stated he might work to reduce prices after high inflation improves.

Musk has also stated that the need for a more affordable model might not be as pressing with alternative transportation modes coming from large ride-hailing fleets of robotaxis.

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