Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk says Tesla will drop the price of basic Autopilot to $US2,000, in the US, and $A2,900 in Australia until July 1, following up on a promise to discuss a possible discount for original buyers of the Long Range (LR) rear-wheel drive Model 3.
While basic Autopilot is included as standard for all Tesla vehicles, it was not included on the now-discontinued LR RWD Model 3 variant or earlier Model S and Model X vehicles.
In April, Musk responded to a request from a Tesla customer for an opportunity to add purchase basic Autopilot – which includes driving assist features such as steering, accelerating and braking within a lane – for a discount.
“Oh sure, good point. Will discuss with team & make available to buy in Tesla app,” replied Musk.
Oh sure, good point. Will discuss with team & make available to buy in Tesla app.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 3, 2020
Musk has now told followers on Twitter that when purchasing via the app, the upgrade for these customers will be dropped to $US2,000 ($A2,917 converted).
Enabling basic Tesla Autopilot via Tesla in-app purchase is reduced to $2k until July 1
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2020
While it is understood there are no LR RWD Model 3s in Australia according to self-reported figures collected by Twitter account Australian Tesla Owners, there are owners of early Model S and Model X vehicles in Australia to whom the discount apples.
Musk also took the opportunity to remind Tesla customers that as of July 1 2020, the price of Full Self Driving (FSD) will increase in the US by $US1,000 ($A1,460), raising the price to $US8,000 ($A11,670).
Reminder that Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) price goes up by $1k on July 1st
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2020
In Australia, Full Self Driving currently costs $A8,500. It is likely that the price increase locally will be $A1,500 bringing the cost to $A10,000.
Musk has previously noted that as time goes on, the cost of Full Self Driving will increase, as Tesla adds more features to what will eventually become a fully autonomous driving suite.
At the company’s Q1 2020 earnings call, Musk said although Tesla will offer FSD via a subscription model, he believes that, “It would still make sense to buy FSD – it’s an investment, we are confident an investment that will pay off to consumer.”
“My opinion something people will not regret doing,” Musk said.
Tesla currently lists the following features on its website for FSD, while autosteer on city streets is to come:
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.