World's fastest car cancelled! Elon Musk confirms 2023 Tesla Model S Plaid+ axing

Tesla has cancelled production plans for what it claimed was the quickest-accelerating car in history, the Model S Plaid+.

Taking to Twitter, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk confirmed the demise of the all-electric large sedan, while revealing another, the Model S Plaid, will lead the way instead.

Announced last September, the Model S Plaid+ (840km-plus range) was supposed to feature an 820kW-plus tri-motor powertrain that would’ve help it sprint from a standstill to 100km/h in less than 2.1 seconds, which Tesla claimed was a world record.

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Meanwhile, the Model S Plaid (628km range) that debuted in January is powered by a 761kW version of the same tri-motor powertrain, with it ‘only’ able to hit triple digits in 2.1s, which Mr Musk said now makes it the “quickest production car ever made of any kind”.

That said, Croatian supercar specialist Rimac has a thing or two to say about that claim, with its recently revealed Nevera coupe said to be capable of completing the zero-to-100km/h sprint in less than two seconds.

Either way, Mr Musk said the Model S Plaid+ was axed because there is “no need” for it due to the Model S Plaid being “just so good”, adding that it “has to be felt to be believed”.

Speaking of which, the believing will begin later this week for US buyers, with deliveries of the Model S Plaid to start then.

Australians will have to wait a while longer, though, with the Model S Plaid ($204,218 plus on-road costs) currently scheduled to arrive here at the end of next year.

For buyers that prefer a large SUV instead, a Plaid version of the Model X will not only land locally at the same time, but also for the same price. It isn’t as quick (0-100km/h in 2.6s) and doesn’t last as long in between charges (547km), though.