Tesla is preparing to retire the Model S and Model X, and it is not sending them off quietly. Before both flagship electric vehicles disappear, the company plans to offer a tiny run of Signature Series versions, available only by invitation and loaded with every expensive bit Tesla can cram in. The Tesla Model S and Model X Signature Series are expected to be the final special editions for both models.
The move fits Tesla’s current priorities. The company has been talking about shifting more of its effort toward robots, while the Model 3 and Model Y continue to do the heavy lifting on sales. That leaves the S and X in an awkward spot: historically important, still halo products, but clearly no longer the main event.
Tesla Model S and Model X Signature Series styling
According to MotorTrend, the final cars will come as full-spec Plaid trims with a few visual tells to make sure nobody confuses them with ordinary expensive Teslas. Expect gold exterior badges, Plaid seat badges and piping, plus gold brake calipers on the Model S. Inside, each car gets a plaque on the dash marking its place in the limited production run.
That’s the sort of scarcity play Tesla knows how to sell. It also feels slightly ironic, given that the company has already raised prices on remaining Model S and Model X inventory, which is usually a pretty good clue that the goodbye tour will not be bargain-priced.
How many Tesla will build
The numbers are tiny even by limited-edition standards. Tesla will reportedly build 250 Model S Signature Series cars and just 100 Model X Signature Series vehicles. If you want one, you will need an invitation from Tesla, which is a neat way of turning a retirement notice into a velvet rope.
- Model S Signature Series: 250 examples
- Model X Signature Series: 100 examples
- Buyers need a Tesla invite
- Both are full-spec Plaid trims
What comes in the Luxe Package
Each Signature Series car reportedly includes Tesla’s Luxe Package, which brings free lifetime Supercharging, four years of maintenance, and what Tesla calls Full-Self Driving. In other words: the hardware is the sendoff, but the bundled ownership perks are doing a lot of the marketing work.
Rumors put pricing in the $150,000 to $160,000 range, which would make the final run a meaningful step up from the current $130,000 for a fully specced Model X Plaid. That’s a steep premium for legacy status, though Tesla has never been shy about charging extra when it can wrap the bill in exclusivity.
- Rumored price range: $150,000 to $160,000
- Current Model X Plaid price: about $130,000
- Includes lifetime Supercharging
- Includes four years of maintenance
- Includes Full-Self Driving
The Model S legacy Tesla is cashing in on
The Model S still matters because it forced the rest of the industry to respond. It helped turn electric performance from a curiosity into a target everyone else had to chase, even if Tesla now makes far more Model 3s and Model Ys than its larger siblings. The Signature Series feels like a collector’s bow, but also a sign that Tesla thinks the future is elsewhere.
That future appears to be robots, not flagship sedans and SUVs. Whether that is a smart pivot or just a shiny distraction is the more interesting question, especially if the company keeps squeezing one last premium cycle out of models it has already decided to leave behind.