Tesla Model S Plaid – Why It Still Matters
By Edward A. Sanchez – June 14, 2021
With last week’s introduction of the Tesla Model S Plaid, some may wonder why a new version of a model that’s been out for nearly a decade is receiving so much attention. Yes, there’s the claimed 1.99-second 0-60 mph time, the 1,020 horsepower, and 9.23 second quarter mile. But in the greater scheme of things, Tesla’s higher-end models like the Model S and X have an increasingly insignificant role in the brand’s overall financial results and volume sales as higher-volume vehicles such as the Model 3, Y, and Cybertruck are added to the line.
Some have even suggested that the Model S and X should be dropped from the lineup to allow Tesla to focus more research and development resources on its more mainstream models. I disagree. The terms “halo vehicle” or “flagship” have been around for nearly as long as the auto industry. Almost every brand has its standard-bearer of the latest in technology, innovation, and design. In many cases, that model is not the highest-volume model in the lineup. Often, it’s low-volume and high-priced. Yet they’re still part of the lineup to keep public interest kindled in the brand.
Externally, the redesigned Model S offers subtle tweaks to a familiar face.
Although collectively the Model 3 and Y represent the majority (and growing) of Tesla sales globally, the Model S, in its various iterations, is the “living legend.” It is the one that is the subject of the Ludicrous mode reaction videos, the multiple takedowns of ICE-powered performance cars at the dragstrip, and the model, rightly or wrongly, that has given Tesla the reputation among many as a “rich person’s car.”
Certainly, at a price of around $130,000, it is well out of the reach of the average buyer. But it continues to be the standard-bearer of performance, innovation, and mystique for the brand, at least until the second-generation Roadster with its cold-gas rocket thrusters emerges. From the launch event in Fremont, Elon Musk himself said, “Why make this crazy fast car? The thing important to the future of sustainable energy is we have to show that an electric car is the best car, hands down. Sustainable energy cars can be the fastest cars, can be the safest cars, can be the most kick-ass cars in every way.”
In terms of public perception of EVs, we’re still a long way from public opinion being anywhere unanimous that EVs are “the best cars.” Concerns among the uninformed buying public for the most part still center around charging and range. For some, the uninformed stereotype of “slow, ugly, and wimpy” is still a thing.
The redesigned Model S and X feature a yoke steering wheel and horizontal center screen, plus some other key touches that elevate the interiors of Tesla’s halo vehicles.
Until EVs become synonymous with “fast, smooth, and desirable,” there will still be a need for cars such as the Model S Plaid, as well as the Lucid Air Dream Edition and the Rimac Nevera. Sure, the Renault Zoe, Volkswagen ID.3, Nissan Leaf, and Wuling Hong Guang (GM/SAIC’s joint-venture urban EV mini-car) may not exactly be the stuff of dreams. But moving toward a future where the electrification of transportation looks increasingly inevitable, there needs to be a solution for every need and budget. If cars like the Plaid ultimately result in the sale of a base Model 3, or even a Chevy Bolt, then it has served its purpose.
(Images courtesy Tesla)
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