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Another day, another chess move from Elon Musk and Tesla. While the new Tesla Model S Plaid is about to get delivered to buyers, the Model S Plaid+ is officially dead. But don’t think you can get into the regular Plaid in a timely fashion for the price it was last week. The brand upped the price by $10,000 overnight.

The Tesla Model S Plaid increased in price again

The Tesla Model S Plaid is increasing in price
The Tesla Model S Plaid is increasing in price | Tesla

The prices of various Tesla models have been increasing randomly in the past few months. Elon Musk says the price increases are due to the industry-wide lack of materials that will probably worsen before it gets better. Yesterday, there was an update to the price of the Model S. Previously, the tri-motor all-wheel-drive option was $114,490. Now the price starts at $124,490.

However, the price of the Model X Plaid tri-motor all-wheel-drive option remains at $114,690. The Model Y Long Range model did increase another $500 this week. That is the fourth or fifth small increase in the past month for the Model Y alone. The Model 3 has also been following suit and increasing by $500 occasionally.

Some speculate that a lack of available flux capacitors might be the reason for the Plaid+ change, but that has not been confirmed yet.

Elon Musk killed the Model S Plaid+ with a tweet

Tesla had been taking orders for the Plaid+ for a while now but only canceled it this week. It wasn’t expected to get delivered until later this year or even next, but the Model S Plaid+ won’t be getting delivered at all now. Now that the price of the Plaid has increased, what does that mean for those who pre-ordered the Plaid+? Tesla was urging buyers to switch the reservation to the Plaid model.

The issue isn’t the price so much as the range. The Plaid+ was supposed to have a range somewhere around 500 miles. As it stands right now, the Model S Long Range model gets an estimated 412 miles of range. The price is $74,490 for now. The Plaid model has an estimated range of 390 miles.

Is Tesla simply trying to make up for the lack of Plaid+ sales with the price increase? Will it even matter if the Plaid is better than the brand anticipated? Tesla might answer a lot of the answers to these questions at the Plaid delivery event this week.

Where does Tesla go from here?

Right now, the electric vehicle brand has the upper hand. Even if the price increases continue, the demand still outweighs the supply. Will that change once production can increase again and get back on schedule? It is possible.

There are certain owners out there that are not pleased with one or more of these recent updates. Some buyers have been waiting it out and won’t love the ever-increasing prices. Some buyers might not be thrilled about the cancelation of the Plaid+ and don’t like the range of the Plaid.

While the goal for Tesla was initially to make electric vehicles more affordable for the masses, there have been many bumps along that road. Is that goal no longer realistic?

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Amanda Cline

Amanda Cline is an avid fan of Formula 1 and joined MotorBiscuit in 2021. A Southwest Floridian, she easily and often finds automotive events to attend in the Tampa, Orlando, and Miami areas.
Amanda is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she earned a Bachelor’s in English Literature and a Master’s in Technical Communication. Combining her editorial and digital media expertise, Amanda served as a content creator for FanSided and now provides our readers with a variety of automotive subject matter like pickup trucks and SUVs, including valuable consumer advice.

Amanda closely follows many F1 drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Her all-time favorite author is Shel Silverstein.