Big price rise for triple motor Tesla Model S Plaid+
The fastest, most powerful Tesla ever created is now almost $15,000 more expensive than it was last week – and it’s running late.
Tesla recently upped the price on the Model S Plaid+ by $10,000 plus taxes and on-road costs, amounting to a hike of almost $15K once you sign on the dotted line.
The Model S Plaid+ now starts at $199,990 plus taxes and on-road costs, or about $252,000 drive-away, with slight price variations between states and territories.
The price rise comes as competition intensifies against Tesla – which singlehandedly changed the EV market to the point where it has multiple crosshairs now trained on it – with cars such as the Porsche Taycan (and recently arrived Taycan 4S), Taycan Cross Turismo and Audi e-Tron GT the most obvious rivals for the Model S.
It also comes despite a 12-month increase in the value of the Australian dollar against the US dollar, something Tesla has previously indicated would lead to price reductions.
The price increases come as the company continues work on a more affordable Tesla Model 2.
The Plaid+ is a new addition to the Model S range, which was recently announced with an update that includes a controversial yoke steering wheel.
The Plaid+ is the top of the Model S family and is the first to go on sale with three electric motors (others had either a single or dual motor setup).
Claimed power is 1100 horsepower, or more than 820kW.
The claimed range is estimated at 837km and the 0-100km/h time at less than 2.1 seconds, something Tesla claims makes it the “quickest 0-100 km/h and quarter mile acceleration of any production car ever”.
There’s a catch with that 0-100km/h time: it doesn’t include “rollout”, a drag racing term that references the time it takes for the car to start rolling. So Tesla’s 0-100km/h claim is effectively a 5-100km/h claim, with some estimates suggesting getting the car moving could add crucial tenths of a second.
Either way, it should still be stupidly fast, to the point where Tesla is planning an attack on the Nurburgring, the unofficial test track for performance vehicles.
No word as to why the apparently unchanged Model S Plaid+ is more expensive – prices for the regular Model S and the Model S Plaid (non “+” model) haven’t changed, still kicking off at around $155,000 and $216,500 drive-away respectively.
The Plaid+ is currently on sale but not being produced.
Tesla is promising overseas deliveries to start late in 2021, although in America the company’s website now states deliveries will begin in mid-2022. The Australian Tesla website suggests deliveries are slated for some time in 2022, although it’ll likely be later in the year at the earliest.
Tesla often runs late with planned model launches; the Model Y, Cybertruck, Tesla Semi and Tesla Roadster are the most recent proof of that.
While Tesla is taking orders for the Model S and updated Model X on its website, it has still not opened orders for the Model Y, the most affordable Tesla SUV.
