Tesla has contacted suppliers about developing an affordable electric vehicle that could be offered with optional human driving controls, Reuters reported.
Reuters cited internal and external sources and a Tesla employee who said the automaker aims to build driverless-capable models while preserving manual controls for markets that may take years to accept fully autonomous cars.
The outreach comes as competitors push lower-cost EVs—Reuters notes Ford is developing three models under $30,000—and as Tesla faces a potential third consecutive year of falling sales.
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, previously dismissed a $25,000 non-autonomous Tesla as pointless given his focus on fully autonomous electric vehicles, and Reuters sources said any new affordable car would not simply be a de-contented Model 3 or Model Y.
This summary is based on coverage by The Autopian.
Read the full article at The Autopian.
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