Tesla Model S Plaid sees major price hike ahead of launch today

Tesla is all set to drive in its new Model S Plaid electric sedan, which it claims to be the fastest car in the world. The launch was earlier scheduled to take place o June 3. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk blamed the supply chain crisis for the delay.

Tesla will take the covers off the Model S Plaid during a global event showcasing the delivery of the first Model S Plaid at its gigafactory in Fremont, California later this evening.

Tesla Model S Plaid was open for bookings earlier on the carmaker’s website. However, just hours before the launch, Tesla has increased the price of the model by as much as 10,000 dollars for the US market. It has pushed the starting price of the Tesla Model S Plaid to 129,990 dollars (roughly converted to almost ₹95 lakh).

Tesla had launched the first Model S car back in 2012. With the Model S Plaid, Tesla aims to reignite interest in one of its oldest models with performance version. It also aims to take on rivals like Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Lucid Motors in the luxury electric vehicle market.

Tesla Model S Plaid will replace the Model S Performance car. Elon Musk had said that the new model will offer customers the feeling of a spaceship. Tesla claims the Model S Plaid sports sedan can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kph) in just 1.99 seconds and has an estimated driving range of 627 kms.

The Model S Plaid will come with a triple motor setup and recently listed the official quarter-mile time as 9.23 seconds and the speed at 249.5 kmph.

It is not clear if Tesla CEO Elon musk will host the event himself, like he has done in case of the Cybertruck back in 2019. However, he has been promoting the Model S Plaid from his Twitter handle.

Earlier, Elon Musk had cancelled the longest-range, supercharged version of the new performance car, called Model S Plaid+. Elon Musk had said, "Model S has matched Plaid's speed this week. Plaid + will be canceled. No need, because Plaid's speed is very good."