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Tesla is pushing back the promised launch of a more affordable EV by months, according to a report<\/a> from Reuters. The new model, which is supposedly a very stripped-down Model Y, was supposed to debut in the first half of this year<\/a> but now might not come until late 2025 or early 2026, states the report.<\/p>\n This all comes as Tesla\u2019s sales are tumbling<\/a> in many parts of the world thanks to a combination of an aging lineup of vehicles, Musk\u2019s far-right politics<\/a> and involvement in the U.S. government, and the underperformance of the Cybertruck<\/a>.<\/p>\n CEO Elon Musk first teased the idea<\/a> of making a $25,000 Tesla at the company\u2019s \u201cBattery Day\u201d event in 2020. Tesla was developing a new platform that would be 50% cheaper to build, which it planned to use to power this new model, often colloquially referred to as the \u201cModel 2,\u201d as well as the company\u2019s mythic robotaxi.<\/p>\n But Musk ultimately killed the idea<\/a> of building a drivable car on the new platform. Instead, he reportedly<\/a> pivoted Tesla toward developing lower-cost versions of the Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n