Tesla Debuts Model S and X Plaid, Humanoid Robot in China

At the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which opened on November 5, Tesla displayed its Model 3 and Model Y for the domestic market, as well as its Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid, which have been ordered but not yet delivered in the country. The firm also showcased its Tesla Bot, a conceptual general-purpose robotic humanoid.

In January 2021, Tesla released its Model S Plaid and X Plaid. The EV maker once explained that the name “Plaid” was inspired by the sci-fi movie Spaceballs, in which the spaceship’s extreme speed mode was called Plaid.

The newly modified Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid have now made their debut in China. Although the two new cars can be booked through Tesla’s official website in China, the firm has not yet officially issued clear prices or delivery times.

The Tesla Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid are equipped with three-motor drive systems, with maximum power of 750kW, acceleration time of 2.1 seconds and 2.6 seconds respectively, and CLTC cruising range of 672 km and 664 km respectively.

The appearance of the two new cars basically continues the design of current models, with optimized details, and mainly upgrading the interior design. They are equipped with a Yoke steering wheel without physical shift levers and shift operations, a 17-inch central touch screen with flexible angle adjustment, and an upgraded on-board game system with computing power of 10 trillion flops per second. In addition, the rear seats are also equipped with on-board screens, which can operate air conditioners and entertainment systems.

In addition to the two new cars, Tesla Bot, a humanoid robot, also appeared at this year’s CIEE. Previously, on Tesla 2022 AI Day, the company released the first mass-produced humanoid robot Tesla Bot, which can lift items, water flowers, and squat down to carry out certain detailed work.

According to its official introduction, the Tesla Bot took only six months to move from concept to reality, and the company was reportedly “developing AI robots with the wisdom of car making.” The Tesla Bot adopts powerful computer vision consistent with cars, a “brain” for processing visual data, making action decisions and supporting communication. It adopts the same chip, FSD computers, and autopilot-related neural network technology as Tesla vehicles. After mass production, the final price of the robot is expected to be no more than $20,000.

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“As the first wholly foreign-owned vehicle enterprise in China, we are honored to be one of the achievements of China’s reform and opening up. In the past nine years, Tesla has not only deeply invested in China, but also become an important part of China’s new energy vehicle industry, helping China’s automobile industry and economic globalization together with Chinese local enterprises. Nowadays, Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory drives the Chinese new energy vehicle industry to upgrade, and exports models to many countries and regions in Europe and Asia-Pacific,” said Grace Tao, Global Vice President of Tesla, at the opening ceremony of CIIE.