2026 Tesla Model S Plaid spied – finally a genuine Porsche Taycan fighter?
The Tesla Plaid has traditionally paired huge power with not an awful lot of composure or driver engagement. This update could change that.
Imagining for a moment that the issues we as a society have with the man at the helm of Tesla aren’t there, we have our own reasons for not finding even their most performance-oriented products that compelling. The ‘Plaid’ Model S and Performance-spec Model 3s and Model Ys are all somewhat one-dimensional, sporting sensational straightline punch, without anything like the quality of braking, steering and body composure of an equivalent Porsche once a corner arrives. Nor for that matter, the kind of endurance in the powertrain to handle repeated lapping at full power.
But they have iterated and improved over the years and the next round of updates are on the way, with prototypes of the Model Y Performance and Model S Plaid spied testing at the Nürburgring. It’s curious that the Model S is receiving another update at all. Given it’s been around in the same basic form for almost 13 years, a successor should surely be on the way.
But no, what we see here is yet another iteration on the familiar formula, with revised front and rear aprons the most obvious areas that have been updated. Though there’s not much to see, there is a prominent splitter element on the Model S at the front, as well as a reasonably sizable (for an EV) central air inlet. At the rear, we see more aggressive underbody aero, with diffuser strakes reaching under the car, and a lip spoiler. There’s no sign of the active wing seen on the infamous wide-bodied prototypes from a few years back.
Very little is known about any upgrades we can expect powertrain-wise. The Model S Plaid certainly wasn’t wanting in that area, with three electric motors producing a combined 1006bhp, allowing Plaids to reach 60mph in under two seconds. If anything, our hope is that there isn’t more power, with the focus instead on honing the Model S’s dynamics. The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT has set new standards for composure and exploitability, where these mega-powered, mega-heavy high-performance EVs are concerned, so Tesla has a high bar to clear if so compelled. We expect all to be revealed in a Model S MY26 update before the end of the year, but it’s unlikely to come to the UK market.
As for the Model Y, we can more easily assume that this will be the Model Y Performance, which will head the range. We can expect the hardware of the recently-updated Model 3 Performance to be transposed, with nominal calibration changes, so somewhere in the region of 460bhp combined, from two electric motors, one positioned on each axle. This will put the Model Y Performance between the Macan 4 and Macan 4S in terms of available potency.
Like the Model 3 Performance, the Model Y Performance should also get some bespoke chassis hardware changes, including adaptive damping, uprated springs, anti-roll bars and bushings, as well as the latest ‘Track Mode’ software to manage parameters across the powertrain and chassis for maximum circuit performance. Whether all this will coalesce into a Model Y that can finally go toe to toe with an equivalent Porsche Macan EV, remains to be determined.
