Reuters has started a rumor that Elon Musk is much more attentive to the costs and affordability of his Teslass. Cars designed by the richest man in the world have always been a luxury for those who can afford them, especially because they represent sophisticated technology, exclusivity, and, why not, even a certain desire to show off. Because, let’s face it, this brand is still not common in our country, even though it is forcefully conquering ever larger market shares.

And, perhaps, the main reason for this tangible rarity is hidden in plain sight on the price lists. From the Model X, which costs at least 100,000 euros, to the more accessible Model 3, which still approaches 40,000 euros, Tesla’s fleet of vehicles is certainly not for everyone.

A little smaller, a little less powerful, and therefore also cheaper. Musk’s idea is precisely to create a small car without too many pretensions, with Tesla in the brand but which, in fact, responds to needs more in line with popular demand, approaching, in one way or another, more mainstream manufacturers. This project is not new to the minds of the king of, among others, Starlink and X, who some time ago set himself the goal of providing true competition to Toyota, the world’s queen of electrification (both in engineering and commercial terms). Will he succeed with his revived idea of a competitive car?

What will the affordable Tesla Musk envisions look like?

According to sources collected by Reuters, the new “popular” Tesla will definitely not be a budget version of existing models, but a completely new project. It would be a compact SUV developed from scratch, with significantly smaller dimensions than the Model Y: approximately 4.28 meters in length, placing it at the heart of the European C-segment, that of advanced city cars. Also commonly referred to as city-SUV.

From a technical standpoint, the key word seems to be smart cost reduction. The vehicle is expected to adopt a smaller battery than the current Tesla standard, with a range shorter than the approximately 500 km claimed by the Model Y, but still adequate for urban and everyday use (between 250 and 350 km). Not only that: there’s also talk of a single electric motor configuration, abandoning the dual-motor solutions typical of the higher-performance versions.

The overall weight is expected to be around 1.5 tons, well below the approximately 2 tons of the Model Y, with noticeable benefits in fuel consumption and efficiency. Production, at least initially, would be concentrated in China, at the Shanghai plant, with possible future expansion to the United States and Europe.

Another aspect worth highlighting? The new Tesla could be designed to be natively compatible with autonomous driving, while retaining, at least initially, the option of traditional driving. This dual soul also represents a step forward, certifying Musk’s faith in driving without human control.

Economic constraints and competition: here’s how much the new “utility” Tesla will cost

And we come to the crucial point: how much will this affordable Tesla really cost? Rumors speak clearly: the goal is to position itself well below the Model 3, which currently starts at around 34,000 dollars in China and 37,000 in the United States.

Translated into industrial strategy, this means aiming straight for a crucial psychological threshold: that of 30,000 dollars, an ambition that in Europe would mean at least below 25,000 euros

To get there, Tesla is working on several fronts. In addition to the aforementioned battery reduction and simplification of the powertrain, there will be a significant optimization of the production chain, favored precisely by production in China, where industrial costs remain lower and where (local) competition is already fierce in the low-cost electric vehicle market.

It’s no coincidence that Chinese manufacturers have already flooded the market with much more affordable models, putting pressure on Tesla, which has struggled to truly expand its customer base in recent years. A car under $30,000 would therefore represent a strategic and concrete turning point, also from a commercial standpoint: does Musk want to make Tesla a global mass player?

Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Arriva la Tesla in versione economica. Ecco quanto costa-