Tesla has pulled the pin on right-hand-drive production of the Model S sedan, meaning all Australian orders have been cancelled.
Emails shared on the Tesla Owners Australia Facebook group state that the “changes to the vehicle program” mean the orders will not be fulfilled.
The Plaid is the most high-performance variant of the Model S
Australians who had placed an order for a Model S will reportedly receive a full refund, plus $3000 credit towards a Model Y or Model 3. This credit can only be used if an order is placed before 21 October 2023.
News of the Model S being dropped in Australia comes after pricing was first removed from Tesla’s website in early 2022, before the ability to place an order was cut earlier this year.
Despite being cut from the Australia market, Tesla confirmed that the Model S will be returning to China and Europe.
A track package was recently announced for the Model S Plaid
Interestingly, Japan is still set to receive the updated Model S, due to laws allowing new left-hand-drive cars to be registered and driven on its roads.
A note on Tesla Japan’s website mentions that there are “no plans to produce a right-hand model”, meaning that the Model S might be done for good in Australia.
The cancellation of the Model S in Australia means that the range-topping, tri-motor Plaid variant will no longer land locally.
The high-performance Model S Plaid was first revealed in 2021
With 760kW/1420Nm on hand, it’s claimed that the Model S Plaid is able to hit 100km/h from a standstill in under three seconds, making it one of the fastest accelerating production cars ever sold.
A recent track package added carbon-ceramic brakes and lifted the sedan’s top speed to an eye-watering 320km/h.
