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- Tesla's upgraded Model S "Plaid" sat behind a tow truck on the Nürburgring this week. Video shows its rival, a new Porsche Taycan, driving past it.
- Tesla handily topped a lap time set by Porsche's new electric vehicle at the famous German track.
- "Plaid," the latest powertrain refresh to any Tesla model, should be in production in about a year, CEO Elon Musk said.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Tesla didn't want to just top a lap time set by Porsche's new electric vehicle at Germany's iconic Nürburgring race track, it wanted to demolish it.
Then things apparently hit the skids.
Video posted online Wednesday shows a Tesla's Model S "Plaid" prototype sitting on a tow truck on the track, shortly after setting a Porsche-topping time of 7:20. A Porsche Taycan can be seen driving past the stationary Model S at one point.
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With improvements, the company says it hopes to hit an even faster time of 7:05. For context, Porsche holds the sports car record for the track at 6:44 with its GT2 RS, achieved on October 25, 2018, but there are no standings published yet for electric vehicles at the famous circuit.
Tweet Embed://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1174740593542651904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Until then, auf Wiedersehen Germany 👋
Here's some of our initial Model S Plaid data to keep you buzzing until we return: pic.twitter.com/cWk9EModcM
Tesla didn't immediately respond to questions about why the Plaid prototype, a heavily modified Model S, was stopped on the track. CEO Elon Musk said last week that a production version of the powertrain option would arrive in about a year for Models S, X, and Roadster, but not the Model 3 or Model Y.
Tweet Embed://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1171965230127009793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Yes. To be clear, Plaid powertrain is about a year away from production & applies to S,X & Roadster, but not 3 or Y. Will cost more than our current offerings, but less than competitors.
The Nurburgring has been a point of contention between Tesla and Porsche ever since the German automaker unveiled its all-electric Taycan Turbo and Turbo S earlier this month. Musk first poked fun at the car's name, telling Porche that "this word Turbo does not mean what you think it does" before heading to the Nurburgring.
Tweet Embed://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1169695493594574848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Um @Porsche, this word Turbo does not mean what you think it does Now read:
- Tesla airbags didn't inflate when a family's Model 3 crashed into a guardrail, and claim the company isn't cooperating with the investigation, victims' lawyer says
- A new Tesla service center was temporarily shut down after it failed to get a building inspection
- Elon Musk suggested that Tesla is working on a new powertrain that will make the Model S, Model X, and Roadster quicker
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See Also:
- Tesla's former VP of energy operations is headed to Beyond Meat — here are all the key names who have departed in the past year
- Tesla's Model 3 just earned another big safety award
- Tesla trolls Porsche with a new Supercharger at the Nürburgring, where a modified Model S beat the Porsche Taycan's lap time by 20 seconds
