A Tesla Model S Plaid was spotted in China. Many Plaid reservation holders in China have been waiting for deliveries. The sighting of the first Model S Plaid in the country gives them a sneak peek at what to expect when deliveries of the flagship EV begin.
The Model S Plaid was spotted being unloaded from a flatbed truck. Funnily enough, the Tesla Plaid vehicle was unloaded in front of local all-electric vehicle competitor Xpeng–who had been accused of stealing technology from the American-based EV automaker in the past.
The refresh Model S, Model X , and their Plaid versions have been available to purchase in China for a while, but deliveries have not started yet. In a Chinese Tesla owners forum, one reservation holder mentioned waiting 500 days for their Plaid Model X. The forum member reserved their Model X in May 2021.
Tesla China has not listed estimated delivery dates for the Model S Dual Motor AWD, Model S Plaid, Model X Dual Motor AWD, or Model X Plaid on its official website. Prices for the Model S and Model X are also not available on the website. Although it does list RMB 20,000 as the ‘first payment’ for the Model S and 6-seater Model X.
Tesla’s Model S and Model X Dual Motor AWD and Plaid variants might arrive in China soon. Recent videos of The Fremont Factory hint that Tesla has started manufacturing Model S and Model X cars for other regions.
The Model S Plaid spotted in China yesterday doesn’t appear to have ultrasonic sensors in its bumper, suggesting that it is a newly minted car. Last week, Tesla announced that it would remove ultrasonic sensors from its vehicles. So the Model S Plaid spotted in China might be a display or test car, or at least a teaser for reservation holders.
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