Everything Tesla Said at the Model S and Model X Signature Delivery Ev

Tesla marked the close of a chapter at its Fremont factory by delivering the final Model S and Model X vehicles. Elon Musk, Franz, and other team members reflected on how these flagships reshaped the company and the wider auto industry.

The gathering revisited how Model S overturned the notion that EVs were slow, utilitarian "golf carts." It demonstrated an electric car could be a no-compromise vehicle—and even the best car on the road.

Firsts for the Industry

The company recapped numerous industry firsts. Model S became the first EV to achieve a 400-mile range. It was the first production car to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2 seconds, and the first production sedan to complete a quarter mile in 9.23 seconds.

Its roof strength was so high that it broke NHTSA’s testing machine.

Model X also set benchmarks, becoming the quickest production SUV and the first not to roll over in regulatory testing.

According to Tesla, the current Model S and Model X use 40% fewer parts than the earliest versions, and despite their familiar appearance, they now share only 3% of their original components.

Model S & X changed automotive history forever by proving that an EV could be the best car possible – of any kind.

By inspiring other automakers to believe in EVs, they pushed the industry from 50k cars total in 2011 to 21 million sold per year.

Many automotive firsts:

Model S… pic.twitter.com/F5iPkPMhmN
— Tesla (@Tesla) May 21, 2026

Designed with Love in a Tent

Speakers recounted the modest start of the car that defined the brand. The original Model S was shaped by a small group working from a tent behind a SpaceX facility, pushing a clay model around to judge its form under varying light.

pic.twitter.com/jKqtAQeQ2L
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2026

While Lotus fabricated much of the original Roadster, Model S was the first vehicle that Tesla engineered from the ground up. The team’s guiding principle was to build exactly what they wanted to drive: range, speed, handling, luxury, and air suspension.

The 2012 Model S debuted a 17-inch touchscreen and pioneered over-the-air software updates so the car could improve after delivery. Many 2012 Founder Series vehicles are still on the road; Elon and Lars said they drove their own Founder Series cars to the event.

Conquering the Impossible

At launch, a long-range EV was widely labeled impossible. At the time, most of the world’s lithium-ion output went to phones, but bringing Model S to life required 80 times that global supply.

The bet succeeded. Model S was later named Motor Trend's best car ever made. Model X followed—an effort described by Elon and the engineering team as an act of hubris and the "Faberge Egg" of the lineup.

Executives attributed the success of these flagships to the care put into every detail, including hidden elements owners would never see. That obsessive approach helped expand EV adoption by 270 times, taking overall EV market share from 0.1 percent to 17 percent annually.

Even as production winds down, the cars remain advanced. Today’s Model S and Model X contain 40 percent fewer parts than earlier iterations, and just 3 percent of components are shared with the 2012 design.

No other vehicle can do what Model S and Model X can do today.

Transitioning to Autonomy and Optimus

Musk and other leaders explained the retirements by reiterating their conviction that the future is fully autonomous, and that self-driving will soon be the norm. Ending these models now makes room for the next wave.

That shift has begun. Tesla said Cybercab production has officially started, with full-volume output beginning next week. Cybercab is described as the most efficient EV built to date, at 165 watt-hours per mile.

The legacy of Model S & X will live on in our vision for autonomy pic.twitter.com/u5jAKT6aiM
— Tesla (@Tesla) May 21, 2026

The company’s manufacturing footprint is also changing. Tesla plans to hand over the first Optimus robots at the former Model S/Model X end-of-line area. Fremont is being positioned as a leading automation facility, targeting initial output of one million humanoid robots per year.

Tesla says it is now applying the same intensity it brought to its flagship cars to designing the world’s best robots.

As the session concluded, Lars Moravy summarized the moment: while Tesla typically has a better car coming tomorrow, for Model S and Model X, this is the end—their best versions yet.