With 1,100 horsepower, 520 miles of range, and a zero-to-sixty time so fast it’s…gone. But now, it’s really gone. They’re not gonna build the car.
Tesla announced over the weekend that its top-of-the-line Model S Plaid Plus has been canceled before it ever reached a buyer.
Tesla has no public relations department. It communicates with the press and the buying public only through CEO Elon Musk’s Twitter account and regular statements to investors. Thus, all we have to confirm the demise of the Plaid Plus is an 11-word Tweet:
The Model S Plaid, which Musk cites as making the Plaid Plus extraneous, boasts 1,020 horsepower itself. But the 390-mile range Tesla claims for it, while longer than what any current non-Tesla EV can claim, is a significant step down from what the company claimed for the Plaid Plus. The EPA has not tested either claim.
The Plaid is also significantly less expensive. It tops out at $119,900, compared to $149,990 for the late Plaid Plus.
Part of Model S Redesign
Tesla recently unveiled a redesigned version of the Model S – the first Tesla to get a second-generation design. Tesla doesn’t use model years like a traditional automaker. Instead, it revises cars on the fly during a production run. The Model S is the first Tesla to get a complete, wheels-up redesign.
The new edition boasts sleeker lines and an elegantly simple cabin with a unique steering yoke in place of a steering wheel. Tesla had scheduled the Plaid and Plaid Plus models to be the top two trim levels of the new car.
If you simply must have an ultra-high-performance Tesla, you should know that the company is working on a high-speed successor to its original Roadster model.
The Plaid Plus still appears on Tesla’s website this morning, but the links to order the car are not functional. As to whether anyone had ordered the car, Tesla hasn’t said. We’ll bring information on what Plaid Plus buyers can expect (if there are any Plaid Plus buyers) when we have it.
