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11/06/2021

Tesla’s Faster Model S 'Plaid' Launched, Musk Says 'This Car Crushes'




Tesla’s Faster Model S 'Plaid' Launched, Musk Says 'This Car Crushes'
"This car crushes," said Elon Musk, CEO of the United States based electric car maker Tesla Inc as it launched a version of its Model S at an event organized at Tesla's US factory in Fremont, California.
 
Through this launch, the company aims to tackle competition from rivals such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Lucid Motors in the luxury electric vehicle market as well as to potentially reignite consumer interest in the decade old sedan.  
 
The new version of the car was designed for a future where self driving cars will abound, said Musk at the event. The older version of the car was launched by Tesla in 2012 which essentially redefined electric cars as it came with a sleek design and long driving range.
 
"It's like, man, this is, just, sustainable energy cars can be the fastest cars, be the safest cars, gonna be the most kick-ass cars in every way," said Musk.
 
Musk has acquired a certain star power with his irreverent attitude and speeches that are dotted with engineering terms and it is this star power that the billionaire uses to draw attention to the brand which helps the company to cut down on advertising expenses.
 
Musk said that the latest model is "faster than any Porsche, safer than any Volvo", who was seen wearing a black leather jacket. He also drove around in the Model S Plaid and brought the car down a test track onto the stage.
 
About 1,000 of the vehicles would be produced by the company a week starting next quarter, Musk said he expected.
 
Prior to the launch, Tesla increased the price of the car by $10,000 to $129,990 compared to $79,990 for a long-range Model S.
 
"The Model S has not been changing a lot in terms of looks over the past almost decade," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director at car information provider Edmunds. "I think Tesla has to offer consumers something more ... like new and fun things."
 
There has been delay in the launch of the Model S Plaid as well as some controversy over an expected airplane-style yoke steering wheel even though the model was already showcased online. Another variant, Model S Plaid+, had been cancelled by Musk which would have had a 33 per cent longer driving range compared to the Model S Plaid and utilised advanced battery technology, known as 4680 cells.
 
"The Model S Plaid is definitely intended to help reduce the migration of current Tesla owners out of Tesla," said Ed Kim, vice president at consultancy AutoPacific. "I think what we're seeing now is that Tesla can no longer operate in a vacuum."
 
Model S Plaid is a low-volume, halo model, he said that the company wants to showcase the abilities of the automaker while also generating excitement around the sedan, with Tesla needing to successfully roll out new models like Cybertruck and Semi trucks to expand its customer base.
 
Musk has called the Model S Plaid "the fastest accelerating car ever."
 
The more powerful sports sedan goes from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kph) in 1.99 seconds and has an estimated driving range of 390 miles (627.6 km).
 
The new Plaid can be charged faster at Tesla supercharger stations compared to the older version even though the company has not made much change to the body style of the car. It also comes with a roomier back seat as well as enhanced entertainment systems including when Musk said was the "level of a PlayStation five."
 
"If we're thinking about the future where the car is often in autopilot to full self driving mode, then entertainment is going to become increasingly important. So you're going to want to watch movies, play games, use the internet..."
 
(Source:www.investing.com)

Christopher J. Mitchell

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