Tesla Will Finally Start Model S And Model X Plaid Deliveries In China

Tesla has confirmed that the flagship models with the tri-motor Plaid powertrain will roll out in China in the first half of 2023.

By: Steven Loveday

Jan 4, 2023 at 8:15am ET

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Tesla finally made it official during the Guangzhou Auto Show. The flagship Model S sedan and Model X SUV will become available in China with their Plaid powertrains in the first half of 2023. Customers have been eagerly waiting for the high-performance Teslas since the Model S Plaid first came to market in the US in June 2021.

Tesla typically does all of its initial releases in the US, and then moves on to the rest of North America before heading overseas. Sometimes new releases or options head to other countries more quickly than other times, but it almost always seems to take more time than expected.

CEO Elon Musk estimated after the Model S Plaid came to market in the US in 2021 that it would make its way to China less than a year later, in March 2022. However, as with most of Musk's optimistic estimates, it didn't pan out. At this point, it looks like the best-case scenario is about two years from the US launch until folks in China will be able to partake.

In addition to showing off the EVs at the auto show in China, Tesla also posted about them on its official Weibo social media page. Teslarati writes that the automaker called the vehicles some of the most advanced available today, adding that they're redefining benchmarks and “born to be extraordinary.”

Tesla used the booth at the Guangzhou Auto Show to get people excited about the upcoming cars, which reportedly received plenty of attention as expected. While much more expensive than many EVs in China, the Model S and Model X Plaid also blow away the performance of all rivals. The only vehicles produced today that can out-accelerate these flagships are significantly more expensive.

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While the Model S Plaid can rocket from zero to 60 mph in as little as 1.99 seconds, the Model X Plaid can pull it off in 2.5. Both feature over 1,000 horsepower, which comes from a tri-motor all-wheel-drive setup.

According to Teslarati, Tesla aims to release official pricing for the Model S and Model X Plaid vehicles on Friday, January 6, 2023. The publication says the EVs are expected to start at around RMB 1,000,000 ($144,000).

Source: Teslarati