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2021 Tesla Model S is the world’s fastest accelerating production car – CarToq.com

Tesla has just updated its Model S which is their premium sedan. The manufacturer has updated the interior where the exterior gets some minor tweaks. Tesla has also upgraded the computer power of the sedan. The update was previously announced alongside Tesla’s Q4 earnings reports for 2020. The production of the 2021 Model S is expected to start from February 2021. The update was necessary for the Model S because the sedan started to look a bit dated when compared to other ICE powered competitors. It is important to note that this is the first major overhaul for Model S since it was launched in 2012.

The exterior gets mild upgrades to make the Model S look more sporty. It gets a new front bumper, tweaked air intakes and an air diffuser at the rear. There are new 19-inch and 21-inch alloy wheels. All the bits and pieces like door handles, window belts etc that were finished in chrome now comes in black for a more stealthy look. The Model 3 also comes with the same blacked-out bits and people who bought the Model S were opting for chrome delete from aftermarket shops. So, it makes sense that Tesla realised this and now offers it from the factory. The manufacturer now also offers glass roof as standard.

There are also two new variants known as Plaid and Plaid+. The Plaid variant replaces the ‘Performance’ variant which was available till now. The performance and the range for the Plaid variant stay the same as the previous ‘Performance’ variant which was 627 km while the top speed was 250 kmph. The new Plaid+ variant will get batteries that will be a part of the vehicle’s structure. They will be able to produce around 110 bhp and can hit a ton in just 1.9 seconds. This makes the Model S Plaid+ the fastest accelerating production car. The Plaid+ also has a claimed range of 837 km and a top speed of 320 kmph.

The interior of the Model S has been overhauled. The vertical centre-mounted touchscreen has been replaced with a landscape one. It measures a massive 17-inches, has a resolution of 2200 x 1300 pixels and can be tilted towards left or right. With this, the computing performance has also been enhanced to 10 teraflops which is almost the same as the Sony’s PlayStation 5. You can even connect a wireless controller and play demanding games like Witcher 3. Elon Musk has also teased that it can play Cyberpunk 2077 in a tweet.

The instrument cluster remains to be a 12.3-inch fully digital unit but there are now no stalks for the wipers or the gear selector like there was in the previous generation. Tesla is now using a U-shaped steering wheel with multi-function controls on it. The dashboard is now ventless, gets wooden inserts and looks a more mature version of Model 3’s dashboard. The bolstering of the rear seats has also been improved and the rear occupants also get a small screen. The Tesla Model X which is a SUV based on Model S will also get the same updates but it will not get the Plaid+ variant.

Tesla is working on entering the Indian market. They have already registered Tesla India Motors and Energy Pvt Ltd. with RoC Bangalore. The directors appointed for Tesla India are Vaibhav Taneja, Venkatrangam Sreeram and David Jon Feinstein. Our Highway Minister, Nitin Gadkari has also confirmed the entry of Tesla in 2021, about which you can read more by clicking here. We assume that the first model that Tesla will sell in India will be the Model 3 because it will is the entry-level model from the manufacturer. Tesla did open bookings for Model 3 in India a few years back and a lot of people did put down their deposit for it. For now, there are high chances that the Model 3 will be a CBU or Completely Built Unit and later it could be modified to a CKD or Completely Knocked Down unit. Due to this, the expected price range of Model 3 in India could be somewhere from Rs. 55 lakhs to Rs. 60 lakhs ex-showroom.