Tesla to discontinue low-end Model S

Tesla wants you to buy their higher-end Model S cars

Tesla will officially discontinue its cheapest Model S option on Sunday, a Tesla representative confirmed to Business Insider.
Tesla will no longer offer the Model S 75 with rear-wheel drive after Sept. 24. The move will trim Tesla's Model S lineup to include the 75D, 100D, and P100D, which are all dual-motor all-wheel-drive sedans.

The move shouldn't come as a complete shock. Tesla confirmed to Electrek in July that it would discontinue the base Model S, but didn't provide a timeline. Sources told Electrek on Thursday the sedan would be taken out of the line-up on Sunday.

It makes sense that Tesla would want to do away with the option now that production for the Model 3 is underway. The Model 3 is Tesla's first mass-market car and was always set to replace the base Model S as the company's cheapest vehicle.

Tesla is currently only producing Model 3 vehicles with rear-wheel drive and won't release the all-wheel-drive dual-motor cars until later.

Still, it may be disappointing to some customers who were hoping to purchase the baseline Model S, which starts at $69,500, rather than wait over a year for a Model 3.

The Model 3 is certainly cheaper with a base price of $35,000, but options many may consider necessary will bump that number to the mid-$50,000 range. Naturally, which vehicle is the best option depends on the buyer, but the debate will be moot starting Sunday.

This isn't the first time Tesla has reduced its number of offerings; the electric car maker discontinued the mid-range 85-kWh Model X and rear-wheel drive 90-kWh Model S in early 2016.

This story has been updated to add that a Tesla representative confirmed the Model S 75 will be discontinued on Sunday, Sept. 24.