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Tesla Model S Now Comes Standard With AWD, 75D Priced At $74,500

Can you believe the Model S started production in 2012? Since then, Tesla operated countless changes to the car that single-handedly started an EV revolution, including the introduction of D-badged all-wheel-drive variants in 2014. Three years since the dual-motor setup became available, Tesla finally decided to make it standard for the Model S flagship sedan.
Tesla Model S 1 photo
Photo: Tesla
We’ve known a change would come since July, when Electrek learned that the Model S 75 would be canceled. The switch to AWD-only was confirmed through Tesla’s latest newsletter, in which the Palo Alto-based electric automaker highlights it was the best thing to do.

Tesla makes a case for the improved traction and all-weather drivability of the dual-motor Model S, and that’s all fine if you also take into consideration the superior performance offered by the all-wheel-drive setup. What Tesla doesn’t mention is that the Model 3, which will gain a dual-motor option in 2018, is another reason the RWD Model S had to go.

A quick look into the Design Studio for the Model S reveals powertrain options that mirror those of the Model X. The 75D acts as the entry-level choice, and it’s listed at $74,500 before counting the state incentives for electric vehicles. The 100D and P100D retail at $94,000 and $135,000.

The most mileage you can get from the Model S is 335 miles, an EPA-rated figure that makes the 100D the best long-distance electric vehicle currently available in the United States of America. For hypercar-shaming performance, the P100D is capable of sprinting to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

On the subject of extremes, the Model X P100D is the most expensive Tesla on sale today, listed at $140,000 without even looking at the options list. Though the Model 3 “is not yet available to test drive," the automaker will gladly point out that there are a lot of Model S and Model X inventory cars available for delivery in as little as 7 days.

With customer deliveries now underway, the production timeline for the Model 3 reveals what’s next for Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicle yet. In 2018, the Model 3 will become available with the Standard Battery, all-wheel-drive, and international deliveries of LHD vehicles will start in the second half of the year. RHD vehicles, meanwhile, will start production in early 2019.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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