If you have a need, a need for speed, then Elon Musk has a car for you. Tesla’s CEO –who is known for being a big tease – is saying the new Tesla Model S may arrive sooner than expected, and this baby is going fast. Two hundred miles an hour fast.
Tesla began taking reservations for the Model S Plaid back in September, with the first deliveries originally slated for late 2021.
If you think the “Plaid” name refers to an unusually tacky interior cloth choice, you would be mistaken. The name is borrowed from the sci-fi comedy movie “Spaceballs,” where it is used to describe faster-than-light speed.
The latest Tesla comes complete with three electric motors capable of producing 1,100 horsepower. Which means, if you put the pedal to the electric metal, you can accelerate to 60 mph in less than two seconds. The Plaid promises to top out at 200 mph and go 520 miles between charges.
It can all be yours for just $139,990.
Automobile insiders, who watch for even the slightest nod from Elon Musk, were delighted by a recent “wink” emoji he posted on his Twitter account. It was in response to a follower who asked, “yo @elonmusk how hard did you sandbag the Plaid Model S timeline?”
Additional electric buzz was generated last month, when Tesla paused production of the Model S at its factory in Fremont, California. This is common practice when an automobile maker needs to update assembly lines to produce redesigned vehicles.
The Plaid – or at least its prototype – has also been spotted being put to the test. A YouTube channel called The Kilowatts posted video of what appears to be the new model being taken out for a spin on public roads near the factory.
If production continues to move in fast-forward, expect Musk to tweet more than just an emoji in the coming weeks leading up to the company’s earnings calls. The next one should take place sometime later this month.
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