Tesla drops bombshell Model S upgrades, including the wild Plaid+
- by New Atlas
- Jan 29, 2021
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Tesla has weirdly used a quarterly earnings call to drop blockbuster announcements about its extraordinary Model S, including some bizarre interior upgrades and a monster Plaid+ version that's the fastest accelerating production car ever.
The three new models are already on sale; at the bottom end there's a long-range dual motor starting at US$79,990, and in the middle there's a 1,020 horsepower Plaid tri-motor at US$119,990. But the one that's really got jaws on the floor is the new Plaid+.
Check out the raw specs on this thing. For US$139,990, you get yourself a conservative-looking 4-door family hyper-sedan with more than 1,100 horsepower. That accelerates from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in less than 1.99 seconds. That rips out sub-9 second quarter miles in smirking silence, leaving Koenigseggs, Bugattis, LaFerraris and Dodge Demons fighting over your scraps. That tops out at a supercar-level 200 mph (322 km/h). And that delivers these unbelievable performance figures while carrying enough battery for a massive range over 520 miles (837 km).
The Model S Plaid+ offers more than 1,100 horsepower, 520 miles of range, sub-2 second 0-60 acceleration, sub-9 second quarter miles and 200 mph top speeds
Tesla
You can bet that range figure is no accident; the Lucid Air one-upped the Tesla last year by promising 517 miles (832 km) of range with a 2.5-second 0-60. Elon Musk loves these kinds of challenges – especially, one imagines, from competitors who are yet to deliver a car.
As well as this shot of steroids for the powertrain, there are some minor exterior updates, and a complete interior overhaul for both the Model S and Model X, which cleans things up considerably to match the sparse design language of the Model 3.
Thus, there's now a massive 17-inch horizontal infotainment touchscreen to go with the 12-inch dash display and an 8-inch display in the back of the center console for the kids to enjoy. The front and rear infotainment screens are now driven by a built-in gaming computer with enough processing power, Tesla says, to rival a latest-gen console like the Playstation 5.
A very clean refresh of the cabin brings the design into line with what the Model 3 established
Tesla
And that's not an empty comparison; you can literally connect wireless controllers and play high-end games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt from any seat, with 960 watts of stereo completing the experience through a new 22-speaker sound system with active noise cancelling. Hell, if you don't mind the risk of your car blue-screening and crashing in more ways than one, you can even boot up Cyberpunk 2077.
It can play Cyberpunk
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