The American automaker has not made any commitment to introduce a second-generation Model S
Through Brad Anderson
June 4, 2024 at 6:29 PM
- The 2018 BMW M8 Gran Coupé Concept was used as the basis for this Model S render.
- Several design elements from the Model 3 were used, but adapted for the larger Model S.
- The Tesla Model S only accounts for a small percentage of the brand’s total sales.
It has been twelve years since the Tesla Model S was introduced and eight years since it last received a major facelift. In the automotive world, that makes it pretty old, so designer Theottle decided to imagine what it might look like if overhauled for a second generation.
The 2018 BMW M8 Gran Coupé Concept forms the basis for Theottle’s design. It has one of the sexiest shapes of any four-door, and while Tesla itself would never shamelessly use a competitor’s design to create the next Model S, in this case it works well.
Read: Tesla Removes Steam Gaming Support in New Model S and Model
With the exception of the Cybertruck, all current Tesla models share similar minimalist designs and to create the new Model S, Theottle has taken the bodywork of the facelifted Model 3 and stretched it over the BMW. To our surprise, the shape of the new Model 3 works quite well when the proportions are stretched.
The headlights initially have the same general shape as Tesla’s entry-level EV, but are slightly more angular to complement the Model S’s lower body. However, a second design shows the Model S with modified headlights that have a shape not dissimilar to those of the Ferrari Purosangue and Toyota Prius.
It’s a similar story at the rear, where the Model 3’s lobster claw taillights have been squashed and changed to better match Tesla’s flagship. Everything looks surprisingly coherent, which you wouldn’t expect from a Tesla based on a BMW concept from six years ago.
Tesla hasn’t mentioned whether a second-generation Model S is in the works. Currently, the Model 3 and Model Y make up the vast majority of all Tesla sales. Of the 386,810 vehicles the automaker delivered in the first quarter, 369,783 were Model 3s and Model Ys, while the rest were the Model S, Model X and Cybertruck.