When Tesla first unveiled the new Plaid Model S variants earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk said the Plaid+ would begin deliveries late in 2021. Those deliveries would be preceded by the Plaid variant, which are expected to begin as soon as this month.
If you place an order now, you will have to wait almost 18 months as Tesla has updated its online Design Studio. The timeline for Plaid+ orders placed today are expected to ship by mid-2022.
Current reservation holders who have spoken to Drive Tesla indicate their account pages show no delivery dates. Therefore it is unclear at this time if the delay is for all orders, or only for those placed as of today.
The new delivery date could be a preemptive move by Tesla to push buyers towards the Plaid Model S, which will be available in just a few weeks. Performance wise the two cars are similar, but the Plaid+ will feature the new 4680 battery cells inside the new structural battery pack.
If given the option to wait 8-10 months to wait for all that new technology, Tesla could have been seeing more buyers opting for the Plaid+.
It could also be the result of Tesla expecting it take longer than anticipated to introduce that new technology to its vehicles in time for deliveries later this year.
