Photo: YouTube screenshot, modified
If you like Tesla, then it's very likely you were pretty excited about the Model S Plaid+, and that's because it represents the pinnacle of what the company can deliver at this point.
Sure, its supremacy within the Tesla range would have supposedly been short-lived with the second-gen Roadster planned for a 2022 release, but given the record this company has with keeping its promises, it could have just as well enjoyed the top spot for a few good years.
Well, any chance of that happening has now been thwarted by Elon Musk's announcement via Twitter (do we need to mention that?), announcing the decision to drop any production plans for the top-spec refreshed Model S. That's all the thousands of people who registered for the $150,000+ EV—and the many thousands more who were excited about getting to see it on the road—will get: a dry and very concise tweet.
It wasn't even a tweet, but rather a reply to his own message announcing the Model S Plaid delivery event scheduled for June 10 (this Thursday) will go ahead as planned. Apparently, he didn't think the information was important enough to warrant a separate thread, despite the fact he had previously used the Plaid+'s specs to generate hype around the then-upcoming model.
To be entirely fair, the go-faster and go-further Model S Plaid+ was only supposed to launch next year. Even though it feels like an abrupt notice with the July 10 event in mind, the Plaid+ wasn't supposed to play any role in that, so it isn't, really. However, it's Musk's explanation that might get on some people's nerves.
He says the Plaid+ is not needed because the "Plaid is just so good." Uhm, is that how he drove progress this far, by settling for "good" and not going for "the best"? Besides, even if the Plaid+ is only marginally better, some people will want that. He says the Model S is already the quickest production car over the quarter-mile (continuing to ignore the Rimac Nevera, but that's another discussion). Still, ironically enough, it's precisely the people who take their EVs drag racing that would have appreciated the extra performance since they routinely go against modified vehicles built with a single purpose in mind.
The news comes after a tough period of negative self-inflicted PR for Tesla and Elon Musk, bringing the fanbase's spirits to an all-time low. First, it was the very abrupt removal of the radar sensor in all Model 3 and Model Y cars built starting last month. Then, the quiet removal of the passenger lumbar support for the same two cars wasn't even announced but had to be discovered and brought to the public's eye by a customer. Add Elon Musk's meddling into cryptocurrency affairs, and it's safe to say the Tesla CEO's popularity isn't exactly on the rise.
The Model S Plaid delivery event in two days will probably be a key moment. Assuming it all goes well, and Musk manages to pull something out of his hat, it could help stabilize the public's opinion. However, it looks as though more and more people are beginning to doubt his promises and forecasts, which probably presents the best way to explain "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" fable to the younger generation.
Well, any chance of that happening has now been thwarted by Elon Musk's announcement via Twitter (do we need to mention that?), announcing the decision to drop any production plans for the top-spec refreshed Model S. That's all the thousands of people who registered for the $150,000+ EV—and the many thousands more who were excited about getting to see it on the road—will get: a dry and very concise tweet.
It wasn't even a tweet, but rather a reply to his own message announcing the Model S Plaid delivery event scheduled for June 10 (this Thursday) will go ahead as planned. Apparently, he didn't think the information was important enough to warrant a separate thread, despite the fact he had previously used the Plaid+'s specs to generate hype around the then-upcoming model.
To be entirely fair, the go-faster and go-further Model S Plaid+ was only supposed to launch next year. Even though it feels like an abrupt notice with the July 10 event in mind, the Plaid+ wasn't supposed to play any role in that, so it isn't, really. However, it's Musk's explanation that might get on some people's nerves.
He says the Plaid+ is not needed because the "Plaid is just so good." Uhm, is that how he drove progress this far, by settling for "good" and not going for "the best"? Besides, even if the Plaid+ is only marginally better, some people will want that. He says the Model S is already the quickest production car over the quarter-mile (continuing to ignore the Rimac Nevera, but that's another discussion). Still, ironically enough, it's precisely the people who take their EVs drag racing that would have appreciated the extra performance since they routinely go against modified vehicles built with a single purpose in mind.
The news comes after a tough period of negative self-inflicted PR for Tesla and Elon Musk, bringing the fanbase's spirits to an all-time low. First, it was the very abrupt removal of the radar sensor in all Model 3 and Model Y cars built starting last month. Then, the quiet removal of the passenger lumbar support for the same two cars wasn't even announced but had to be discovered and brought to the public's eye by a customer. Add Elon Musk's meddling into cryptocurrency affairs, and it's safe to say the Tesla CEO's popularity isn't exactly on the rise.
The Model S Plaid delivery event in two days will probably be a key moment. Assuming it all goes well, and Musk manages to pull something out of his hat, it could help stabilize the public's opinion. However, it looks as though more and more people are beginning to doubt his promises and forecasts, which probably presents the best way to explain "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" fable to the younger generation.
Plaid+ is canceled. No need, as Plaid is just so good.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2021
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