Change of badging, no alternation to trim and stickers - so mainstream or something more upmarket?

‘PREMIUM’ is a descriptive with certain connotation within the car industry - basically, within that world, it defines the pricing band in which a product places.

But sometimes exceptions are made. When Tesla Model 3 and Model Y first landed in New Zealand, they did so as much because of their tech, as where they stickered.

The latter aspect more favoured this Proust being considered in a lower tier; the trims certainly were going that way.

In time, the most egalitarian of those cars quietly slipped down into the latter definition, which allowed those makes with greater historical context to avoid ongoing comparison in monthly stats.

Tesla cars remain in that situation, but ironically now the brand has determined to move back up the status ladder, with realignment its regional - meaning for NZ and Australia - naming convention to mirror that found in global markets.

So as of last week, the Model 3 and Model Y Rear-Wheel Drives become Premium Rear-Wheel Drives and the Long Range All-Wheel Drives become the Premium Long Range AWDs.

The naming convention for the Performance All-Wheel Drive product that, at $100,000 or thereabouts, remains the most expensive choices, remains unchanged.

It’s about model descriptives only. Specifications and pricing remain unchanged.

Tesla says the change aims to bring consistency to its brand, and to its current and future models.

As before, Tesla Australia and New Zealand continue to offer a spare wheel loan programme in addition to a five year, unlimited kilometre factory warranty and a five-year roadside assistance program.

High-voltage traction battery warranties vary between the Model 3 and Model Y.

The news comes as Tesla also calls time on the products that it kicked in with out here, the Model S and Model X.

After an estimated three-quarters of a million were sold globally, production is curtailing to clear the way for production of human-shaped robots. The cars are long in the tooth by car making standards, with the S having come out in 2012. Availability of both to NZ ceased six years ago and no successors have ever been indicated.

That leaves Cybertruck, Model Y and 3 still in production, but only the latter two for international acceptance and with both of those now also getting on in age, there is growing speculation about how much longer Elon Musk might remain in car-making.