Tesla Model S Plaid price rises big time just before launch
Hopefully buyers have another $10,000 lying around to buy this car.
Tesla's back with another price increase, this time for its new range-topping Model S Plaid. Just ahead of its launch party this evening, the automaker updated prices on its website Wednesday showing the powerful, electric sedan will now cost another $10,000 for a total cost of $129,990 before destination. Yeesh. I suppose if you're already spending six figures on a car, another 10 grand is a drop in the bucket.
It's the latest in a series of price rises for the automaker, with CEO Elon Musk taking to Twitter last week to explain that prices are "increasing due to major supply chain price pressure industry-wide." Automakers have been particularly hard hit by the global shortage of chips, just as demand for new cars is skyrocketing as pandemic restrictions ease up in the US.
If there's a silver lining, the new price is still technically $10,000 cheaper than what Tesla originally wanted to sell the Model S Plaid for. First, it revealed the Plaid with a $139,990 price tag, but it followed it up with a Plaid Plus variant with a promised 520-mile range. That car's since been canceled, according to CEO Elon Musk. It was supposed to cost $149,990, so the regular Model S Plaid dropped to $119,990 to give the cars some space.
With the Plaid Plus out of the picture, it seems Tesla thinks $129,990 is the sweet spot for the new electric car. It'll boast a 200-mph top speed, a 0-60 mph time under 2 seconds, and according to Jay Leno, it set a new world record for the fastest quarter-mile time. With all that power, it's unsurprising that range falls slightly, dipping to 390 miles per charge, versus today's Model S Long Range and its 412-mile juice breaks.
Perhaps Tesla will have more to say about the Model S Plaid's price later this evening; the company doesn't operate a public relations department to respond to media requests for comment.
