The Model S is out of production, but its shape is protected. The US Patent and Trademark Office granted Tesla design patent D1,156,251 for an «automobile body» on November 3, Not a Tesla App reports. The patent does not name the Model S, but its drawings match the latest version of the sedan.
The drawings show the car from every angle, including its fastback roofline, front lip, side skirts, rear spoiler and rear diffuser. The USPTO record lists Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen among the inventors; Not a Tesla App says Julien Bilodeau is also named.
Tesla filed in May 2025, before Musk announced the end of Model S and Model X production on the Q4 2025 earnings call in January. A US design patent lasts 15 years, protecting the design until 2041, and covers only the ornamental look, not the car's technology.
