Tesla Model S and Model X reservation holders from several right-hand-drive markets have been informed by the automaker that their orders will be canceled because the company is no longer moving forward with plans to build RHD versions of its flagship vehicles.
There are many reports on social media from pre-order holders in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan according to which Tesla informed customers that if they want to move forward with their orders, they will need to accept taking delivery of a left-hand-drive model.
That’s obviously a big inconvenience for most reservation holders as driving a RHD car in an LHD market is something not many of them are willing to accept – not to mention some are getting this piece of bad news after two years or more of waiting for the delivery of Model S or Model X.
In the emails sent to reservation holders, Tesla says that right-hand-drive Model S and Model X won’t be available “for the foreseeable future,” with customers given the option of purchasing the car as a left-hand drive, choosing to receive credit for the Model 3 or Model Y, or just canceling the reservation. In the latter case, customers will receive a full refund for the payments made.
For customers who decide to change their reservation for a Model 3 or Model Y, Tesla also throws in a credit, which is up to $2,175 (2,000 euros) in Ireland and up to $2,000 (3,000 Australian dollars) in Australia.
In one notification shared by Sawyer Merritt on Twitter, Tesla blames the decision on “recent changes to the vehicle program,” adding that orders are “unable to be fulfilled and will be canceled.”
Tesla only started deliveries of refreshed Model S and Model X vehicles in overseas left-hand-drive markets in late 2022, and reservations holders from RHD countries were in line to get their flagship Tesla EVs shipped next.
The EV maker has already updated its website in certain RHD markets to show that the Model S and Model X are only available as left-hand drive. We’ve found that on Tesla’s customer websites in the UK, Ireland, and Japan.
The company’s websites in Australia and New Zealand haven’t been updated with this message, showing this disclaimer instead: “Specs displayed are US values. US model shown. Model S is not currently available to order in Australia.”
