Tesla's new-model assault: Why 2023 could be electric car brand's biggest year yet!

Next year is shaping as the biggest in Tesla's history, with a flurry of new launches joining updates to the Model 3 and Model Y to potentially lift Elon Musk's EV company to even greater heights.

A string of long-made promises seem set to finally come to fruition, with Elon Musk promising both the Tesla Cybertruck and the Tesla Semi will launch globally next year.

And they could even be joined by the long-promised Roadster, giving the brand three fresh models to join its S.E.X.Y lineup, according to US reports.

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Tesla Cybertruck

The Cybertruck could launch mid-2023.

Let's start with the Cybertruck. It's a case of better late than never, with the brand's first tray-backed product originally slated for launch in 2021.

That date has been and gone, but US reports now point to mid-2023 launch for the much-hyped truck (which has attracted reports of more than one million deposits or reservations around the world, including Australia), with the pickup to be built in Tesla's Texas factory.

The Cybertruck measures 5885mm in length, 2027mm in width and 1905mm in height, and it will arrive with two rows of three seats for six in total. The flagship Cybertruck will feature a tri-motor setup capable of a 0-60mph sprint in just 2.9 seconds. Also available will be dual-motor and single-motor models, which will be slower, but cheaper.

Pricing and specification detail is yet to be confirmed, but the expectation is for the model to hit the market at a significantly higher price than first promised. At the unveiling of the concept, Tesla said the Cybertruck would begin at US$39,900 for the single-motor, US$49,900 for the dual-motor and US$69,900 for the tri-motor.

Tesla Semi

The Semi is said to be able to travel 805km on a single charge.

First unveiled in concept form way back in 2017, Tesla's EV solution to trucking was originally slated to be on roads in 2019. Another missed deadline, then.

But Elon Musk has since confirmed the model would go into production after the Cybertruck, meaning a 2023 production schedule, but then, on Twitter, he suggested deliveries would actually start this year.

"Excited to announce start of production of Tesla Semi Truck with deliveries to @Pepsi on Dec 1st!" he wrote via Twitter, suggesting the soft-drink giant would be first to receive the all-electric truck.

What are they getting? A hauler that can charge to 70 percent in just 30 minutes (using the brand's Megachargers), and a driving range of 500 miles, or 805 kilometres. It can reportedly carry more than 36 tonnes, too.

Tesla Roadster

The Roadster was originally meant to be released in 2020.

When teasing the Semi in 2017, Elon Musk also flagged a return to the EV brand's roots, promising a new version of the brand's first model, the Roadster, was coming in 2020.

Promising the model would rewrite the record books on acceleration and speed, customers began reserving the US$200,000 performance car with big (refundable) deposits, but the model is so far yet to surface.

The latest from Musk is that the Roadster will follow the Cybertruck into production, putting a potential 2023 launch on the cards. That said, the brand is yet to lock in more detailed launch timing publicly.

Model 3 and Model Y Plaid

Tesla is expected to launch a Plaid variant of the Model 3 and Y.

Also on the cards for next year are go-fast versions of Tesla's existing line-up, with a Model 3 and Model Y Plaid on the cards to keep their respective models fresh and relevant.

In Model S guise, the 761kW tri-motor Plaid can travel 637km between charges and takes 2.1s to hit triple digits.