In a pure Tesla move, the California EV company removed the Model Y Standard Range from its website's ordering section with no rhyme or reason given. Even more baffling, it has disappeared only weeks after a price cut that came hot on the heels of the Standard Range model's launch in January. We would reach out to Tesla's PR team to find out why the company has pulled the vehicle from sale but, even before the rumored disbanding of its PR team, it rarely answered inquiries anyway. That means you have to turn to Twitter in the hope that Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, makes a comment. And now he has.

Musk answered an enquiry about the Tesla Model Y Standard Range saying: "It is still available off-menu, but I don't think the range, in many drive conditions, yet meets the Tesla standard of excellence."

This brings up some points. First, it seems that those who have had a Model Y Standard Range delivered now have a vehicle Tesla's CEO has publicly disparaged as not meeting "the Tesla standard of excellence." Second, it's not particularly confidence-inspiring that an automaker is rushing a car to market, selling it, then withdrawing it from the "menu" because it's not good enough.

This erratic behavior is on-brand for Tesla, but that doesn't make this any less baffling. A $2,000 price drop is an attractive one for the Model Y, and in Standard Range form, it appears to be an excellent deal to help push electric vehicles towards mass-market adoption. Its 244 miles of range is in the sweet spot for the average car owner, despite what a billionaire long disconnected from reality might think. Even with "just" a 244-mile range, the Model Y Standard Range still has a rapid 5.3-second sprint to 60 mph, and at $39,990 it's reasonably priced for a premium electric crossover.

In the pursuit of bigger numbers, Tesla might be shooting itself in the foot. Of course, tomorrow Musk might announce it's back on the menu with a 280-mile range or that he's waiting for it to get hover mode. Who knows?