2021 Tesla Model X Arriving Much Later Than Expected

Despite the challenges created by the pandemic and the microchip shortages affecting the auto industry, Tesla has started 2021 on a high with record sales and profits in Q1. Demand for the Model 3 and Model Y is so high that allocations for Q2 are completely sold out.

Earlier this year, Tesla unveiled the refreshed Model S and Model X, but if you placed an order, prepare for a long wait. When they debuted, Tesla promised that deliveries of the refreshed Model S and Model X will start in a few weeks, but this didn't happen. A delay pushed deliveries back until Q2 2021, but customers who have ordered a Model X are reporting the delivery estimate has changed yet again.

As reported by Teslarati, several customers who ordered a Model X in February are now being told the updated electric SUV won't arrive until October this year, several months later than expected. One customer order previously had a delivery estimate of May 2021.

At the time of writing, there is no delivery estimate for the Model S refresh, which is expected to arrive a few months before the Model X, but this "should change within the next week" according to Tesla. New orders for the Model X, on the other hand, aren't expected to arrive until January or February next year.

No reason was given for the delay, but it suggests that the production of the refreshed Model S and Model X isn't going according to plan, possibly due to supply issues. This is no surprise as the whole auto industry is currently in the midst of massive delays caused by a semiconductor shortage.

As part of the refresh, the Model X and Model S received extensive updates, including a new front bumper, redesigned wheels, and a revamped interior with a controversial yoke steering wheel and a larger 17-inch touchscreen. Both models are also available with a more powerful Plaid trim packing three electric motors producing a combined 1,020 hp, which enabled the Model S Plaid to smash a new quarter-mile record and set a record lap at Laguna Seca.