Gone for good? Tesla Model S and Model X electric car order function removed from Australian website

Earlier this week, hopeful buyers were still able to place an order for an S or an X.
Chris Thompson

Senior Journalist

2 min read

Tesla has removed from its Australian website the ability to place a deposit for a new Model S or Model X electric car without an announcement or correspondence explaining the change.

Only earlier this week were customers able to put a deposit of $350 down to secure an order for a new Model S or Model X, though now the website leads users to a ‘Get Updates’ page to enter contact details.

It’s presumed more information on the Model S and X will be sent to those who do so.

Read More About Tesla Model S

While it could be that the change was made for right-hand-drive models, the Tesla UK website still allows orders to be placed.

A facelift for the Model S and Model X was revealed in 2021, though no examples have arrived in Australia since.

Tesla Australia is seeking clarification after being contacted by CarsGuide to query the website change.

There have been reports via groups and forums of Australian customers having waited almost two years since placing a deposit for the Model S, so the company’s move to cease new orders could be a sign that it hopes to either catch up, or that planned right-hand-drive production numbers for Australia have been filled.

This comes as US pricing for the Tesla Model Y small SUV drops to its lowest ever figure,

Stay tuned for updates on Model S and Model X as they come.

Chris Thompson

Senior Journalist

CarsGuide’s Senior Journalist Chris Thompson has never had a ‘real job’ outside being a motoring journalist, which makes him the perfect candidate to inform you about everything happening in the world of new cars. Even as a teenager, while studying journalism at university and stacking shelves at a Brisbane bottle shop, he became a contributor to Unique Cars Magazine in 2014. There he specialised in covering classic car events and writing stories of his own and others’ car ownership. Shortly after packing up his 1992 VW Golf GTI and moving to Melbourne, he worked stints as Deputy Editor at industry titles Australasian Bus and Coach Magazine, and Farms & Farm Machinery Magazine under then Bauer Media’s umbrella, but being a full-time motoring journalist remained his goal. After a few months in Melbourne, he became the first digital journalist at performance car title MOTOR Magazine in 2017. He soon got to grips with the new car industry, becoming probably the youngest full-time journalist and road-tester in Australia at the time, at just 22 years old. A few years at MOTOR saw him become a seasoned reviewer with a particular skill for on-road assessment, as well as becoming adept at video presenting and finding and writing left-of-field motoring stories, sometimes at a rate of several a day. He traded track days and supercharged V8s for family SUVs and fuel efficiency tests when he transferred across the office to Australia’s longest-running motoring publication, Wheels Magazine. There he continued to hone his skills as a reviewer driving mass-market cars with more seats and less power. He also ran Wheels’ news section for a high-intensity period during Melbourne’s infamous lockdowns. Now, Chris brings more than a decade of motoring journalism experience to the team at CarsGuide as a Senior Journalist. He joined in 2022 and works across areas ranging from the news desk and road tests to international new car launches. He also leads the editorial side of CarsGuide’s social media content. He doesn’t get nearly as much time in his 1989 Mazda MX-5 as he would like, as he’s usually behind the wheel of a new car, constantly familiarising himself with the increasingly fast pace the new car industry is changing. When he’s not working, he’s probably playing Australian Rules football, seeing live music, or answering everyone’s car questions at the pub. You can find Chris on LinkedIn and Instagram. Expertise Road testing New car news Performance cars Video presenting and broadcasting Social media content Education Bachelor of Journalism | Queensland University of Technology | 2013-2015 Featured Publications Unique Cars Magazine | 2014-2017 Australasian Bus and Coach | 2016 Farms & Farm Machinery | 2016-2017 MOTOR Magazine | 2017-2020 WhichCar | 2018-2022 Wheels Magazine | 2020-2022 CarsGuide | 2022-present
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