Elon Musk Officially Cancels Tesla Model S Plaid + Via Twitter
Tesla is known for producing some of the quickest electric vehicles on the planet, but it officially won’t be building what would have been its quickest. The Tesla Model S Plaid + was originally announced during last year’s “Battery Day,” but Elon Musk recently announced via Twitter that it has been canceled.
“Plaid is just so good”
If you have never heard of the Tesla Model S Plaid +, then we’ll recap the proposed specs for you. The Plaid + was touted to have a tri-motor setup, which Tesla promised would make 1,100 hp, a top speed of 200 mph, a range of 520+ miles, and a 0-60 mph time of fewer than two seconds. If these specs sound too good to be true, they are.
However, any prospective Plaid + buyers that are still salivating over those performance figures can still find thrill-seeking solace in a regular Model S Plaid. According to Tesla’s website, that car has a tri-motor setup, a range of 390 miles, a top speed of 200 mph, and a 0-60 mph time of 1.99 seconds. By the looks of it, that’s a fair trade-off. It’s no wonder Elon Musk’s tweet read: “Plaid + is cancelled. No need, as Plaid is just so good.”
The Tesla Model S Plaid + would have cost as much as an exotic car
All of that mind-blowing performance that the Tesla Model S Plaid + was slated to have would have come at a great cost as well. At $149,000, the Model S Plaid + would have cost as much as many exotic cars including the Acura NSX and Audi R8. Although, it technically would have been much quicker than either of them.
In reality, the Model S Plaid + was set to compete with the likes of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS AMG and the Lucid Air, but we think that the Model S Plaid will put up a fight just as well. Musk didn’t give much of an explanation as to why the Model S Plaid + was cancelled. But Autoweek reports that it could have boiled down to “a combination of business and technical reasons.” To that, we can agree.
Model S delays could have something to do with it
Back in April, Autoweek reported that Tesla Model S and Model X deliveries were delayed due to the automaker having to retool its production lines. Considering these delays, it could be possible that Musk decided axe the Plaid + in favor of moving production along on the Model S Plaid. According to Tesla’s financial report, the automaker produced almost zero Model S sedans in the first quarter of 2021.
Whether or not the Plaid + being cancelled was due to production shortages or costs, we won’t know for now. However, it looks like the only people that really lost out on the deal were the ones that placed deposits for the Plaid +. We guess they’ll just have to save $20,000 and settle on a Model S Plaid.
