In December Tesla notified employees working the Model S and Model X production lines of an extended holiday closure. The planned 18-day shutdown immediately sparked rumours of a refresh coming to Tesla’s flagship vehicles after several other hints surfaced in the months prior.
The production lines were expected to resume operation on January 11. On January 13 Drive Tesla received confirmation the production lines had been merged and had not yet restarted.
Have heard from multiple sources that during the shutdown, the Tesla Model S/X lines were merged, and as of yesterday had not yet started up again. https://t.co/nX3qugW4dB
— Drive Tesla 🇨🇦 #FSDBetaCanada (@DriveTeslaca) January 13, 2021
It is now two weeks after the lines were supposed to resume. Based on the latest information from a source at the factory work has taken much longer than anticipated and the lines still have not restarted. They have however begun testing.
In addition, our source tell us initial production will use the current battery pack, and will not yet feature the structural battery pack with 4680 cells as has been rumoured.
Tesla is reportedly targeting to resume production in early February. This would align with estimates the first deliveries will begin in early to mid-March.
With Tesla’s earnings call on Wednesday, it would not be surprising to see CEO Elon Musk provide an update on the shutdown and refresh.
Yesterday we saw the first images of what is likely the new Model S. In photos and videos captured on the roads outside Fremont, it looks like the electric sedan will see a few exterior upgrades like factory black trim and a new rear bumper. These vehicles were likely built in the prototyping area at Fremont, and not on the main production lines.
