According to a statement from a senior Tesla executive obtained by Chasing Cars, Tesla plans to pull back on its current pricing strategy - which includes regular vehicle price changes. The change will take effect in Australia, at least, but potentially in the wider Asia-Pacific market.
This new pricing strategy is a big change to Tesla’s existing philosophy, which has been to adjust pricing based on market conditions. This meant regular vehicle price changes - sometimes multiple changes for the same vehicle within the same month.
Stable Pricing
This new “stable pricing” scheme will begin once the regular version of Tesla’s Refreshed Model Y begins shipping in Australia, which is expected to be sometime this summer.
One possible reason for these changes is consumer sentiment. It’s hard to commit to a big purchase—especially a vehicle—when prices can drop or rise by $5,000 or more overnight. That uncertainty was on full display in December 2022, when Tesla slashed Model Y prices after the pandemic-driven supply chain issues.
While most price adjustments have been smaller, typically between $1,000 and $2,000, they still create stress for buyers trying to secure the best deal.
Another potential reason for getting rid of evolving prices is rising competition from China’s low-cost EVs. Tesla may be avoiding a race to the bottom, where Tesla and Chinese competitors get into an intense price war, and margins become razor thin.
Chinese vehicles offer premium features at lower prices, thanks to heavy government subsidies. Markets like Australia, where Chinese EVs are gaining traction, are seeing increased interest in these more affordable vehicles.
Rest of the World
For now, this new price policy seems to be limited to Australia. It’s unclear whether Tesla plans to expand them across the Asia-Pacific market—let alone globally.
Tesla often discusses pricing strategies during financial events, so there’s a chance this topic could come up in the Q1 2025 Earnings Call—though that’s still some time away. Many customers would welcome more stable pricing, as it would make committing to a Tesla purchase easier. It would also prevent owners from getting upset when the price goes down shortly after they’ve purchased the vehicle.
Elon Musk and SpaceX have set some ambitious dates for the first Mars landing. Musk envisions launching the Starship toward Mars by late 2026—less than two years away. There won’t be any humans on board in the initial launches. Instead, Optimus will fill in for humans. Musk stated that human landings could follow as early as 2029 to 2031.
There are certain windows that make flights to Mars feasible for humans. So SpaceX is aiming for humans to be a part of the second or third Earth/Mars launch windows from now, which are 5 to 7 years away.
Tesla continues advancing Optimus, and SpaceX remains relentless. Another Starship test launch is in the books, all while maintaining their steady weekly cadence of Dragon missions to space.
Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus.
Civilization On Earth
Musk goes on to state something interesting in another post on X. He says that the key will be whether “Earth’s civilizational technology level will last long enough to ensure Mars can grow by itself, even if supply ships from Earth stop coming.”
The statement suggests two possibilities—that Earth’s civilization collapses or fails to advance enough to solve unforeseen challenges of sustaining life on Mars.
The key concern is whether humanity will remain technologically and industrially capable long enough to ensure that Mars can eventually become self-sufficient. If Earth’s civilization weakens, either due to collapse, stagnation, or regression, Mars might not get the support it needs to reach full independence—leading to the colony’s failure.
Tossing Optimus on board Starship is a smart move, instead of having smaller, single-task robots. Optimus also has the advantage of being upgradeable on Mars as long as the hardware holds up. It could be a lot like what we saw with Tesla vehicles, where the hardware was present for many years before the vehicle was capable of driving on city streets. Optimus’ capabilities will also improve over time, even if the hardware is older.
But, how does Elon Musk envision Optimus’ role on Mars?
The answer might be simple. SpaceX can leverage a fleet of Optimus robots to assemble shelters and infrastructure before humans even arrive.
Optimus is already highly capable, with precise hands adept at manipulating tools and objects. On Mars, it could construct basic habitats, set up survival systems, and even handle ice processing, water recycling, and food production.
These facilities will be absolutely essential for the first humans to comfortably settle in and begin work on expanding, maintaining, and preparing for proper human settlement.
Beyond construction, Optimus has a major advantage—it doesn’t need oxygen. Instead, mission planners would only need to monitor battery levels, wear and tear, and any potential damage.
That said, even humanoid robots face risks. Martian dust has long been an obstacle in space exploration, clogging solar panels, damaging equipment, and causing malfunctions. Tesla will need to redesign Optimus to withstand the harsh conditions. Its joints and components will need to be sealed against Mars’ relentless environment.
Starship
Mechazilla catching Starship7 Rocket Booster for the first time ever! 🚀 Incredible Achievement by @spacex
Starship, the largest rocket ever built, is immensely capable—but still in its early testing phases. SpaceX has dedicated hundreds of hours between each flight test, refining and improving with every launch. With several Super Heavy booster catches now under their belt, the next challenge is proving Starship itself can land.
Once SpaceX can launch, complete a mission, and safely land both the booster and Starship, the dream of reaching Mars may no longer seem so far-fetched.
With that, Happy 23rd Anniversary, SpaceX! We’re with you all the way as you push humanity toward the stars.
Happy 23rd Anniversary to @SpaceX! Founded on March 14, 2002, and still pushing the limits of what’s possible, here’s to the next chapter of making life multi-planetary! pic.twitter.com/mzvrdEagAn
![A Look at the Tesla Cybertruck’s Crumple Zones [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/cybertruck/cybertruck-crash-test.webp/e43ef2433bd6e44ae8db63421604a4fb/cybertruck-crash-test.jpg)
_300w.png)
