Tesla has again paused accepting new orders for its flagship cars in Europe, the Model S and Model X, triggering speculation and panic among electric vehicle fans and prospective owners. This is not the first time that this kind of move has been seen, though it is still a big step in the global strategy of the automaker.
Its most recent hiatus comes after a small refresh of the Model S and Model X, which were introduced in June 2025. A little more than a month later, Tesla unobtrusively disabled the online configurators of these models in European markets. Traffic to the site is now directed to the primary vehicle pages, with the reduced inventory options available.
Such a trend is not recent. Tesla has not taken new orders of the Model S/X in Europe since early 2021, more than 6 months after a major refresh, and only reopened the books in August 2022. No official cause of the present suspension has been announced, but industry insiders point to the same old villain: supply and production limitations.
Tesla is still producing the Model S and X in its Fremont, California plant. It has been reported that the company has reduced the production of these higher-end models because of the decreasing demand in the world and the ramp-up issues after an update. Currently, the wait time on a custom order of a Tesla Model S in California is two months, indicating that it may take even longer in foreign markets.
Tesla has previously stopped taking new orders when production backlogs are too high to handle. The company might also be facing financial insecurity due to the U.S. putting a tariff of 15 percent on the imported battery cells in Japan, where the Model S/X cells are manufactured. Such market forces complicate long-term pricing commitments.
European customers might have to wait until production is stabilized and logistical challenges are out of the way and wait until they can order again or resort to the stock available. In the meantime, Tesla seems to be concentrating on the North American market and again leaving European customers in the lurch.
