Tesla Obtains a Patent for the Model S Design

# Tesla Just Patented a Sedan It Doesn’t Build Anymore. I Have Questions. Figure from US Design Patent D1,156,251 S (USPTO, public domain). Lester Miyashiro November 5, 2026 Tesla just got a US design patent for a car it doesn’t make right now. The US Patent and Trademark Office granted design patent D1,156,251 S, “Automobile body,” on Tuesday, Nov. 3. It covers a low, four-door fastback sedan. Tesla filed for it on May 5, 2025. The grant landed almost six months after the last Model S rolled out of Fremont. So yes, I’m squinting at the drawings. The patent doesn’t name a model. Tesla hasn’t s

# The Model S Is Gone, but Tesla Just Patented Its Design ## Filed in May 2025 and granted this week, the patent protects the sedan’s look for 15 years, even as Musk plans to open-source its design and software. Not a Tesla App Nehal Malik November 4, 2026 The Model S may be out of production, but Tesla is making sure nobody else can copy its look. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Tesla a design patent for an “automobile body” that matches the latest Model S, months after the sedan’s production ended. The patent, US-D1156251-S, was granted on November 3. It doesn’t mention the

# Tesla Secures Design Patent for Model S After Ending Production The US-D1156251-S patent, granted Nov. 3, protects the sedan's exterior look until 2041 despite Musk's previous open-source pledges. By Maya Navarro · November 5, 2026 · 3 min read Tesla has been granted a design patent for the exterior of the Model S, just months after discontinuing the sedan’s production. The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the patent on November 3, securing the vehicle's visual identity for the next 15 years. ## What Happened The patent, designated US-D1156251-S, covers an "automobile body" t