In September 2019, Elon Musk unveiled the Plaid Mode Model S. Tesla’s flagship sedan had received a “revamp,” or even a “rejuvenation” if you will. The Tri-Motor setup with a slightly wider body, front lip spoiler, rear diffuser, spoiler, and large front air intake was poised to become Tesla’s fastest and most aerodynamically superior vehicle to date.
The car hit the track at the Nürburgring in Germany, speeding around the “Green Hell” at speeds that are rumored to be a track record. However, we as Tesla fanatics never got a verified track time, and maybe, in a way, it is better that we didn’t. Elon knows something we don’t, and perhaps that the best is yet to come.
Here we are, around eight months after the Plaid’s initial announcement, and Elon drops another bomb on us: The Plaid Cybertruck. Of course, it is what he’ll drive around in, as he announced to the world on Twitter that the fastest and most polarizing truck will be his daily driver.
But to the average consumer who is looking for speed, efficiency, sustainability, and a unique look, the Plaid Cybertruck could be the perfect option. In my personal opinion, it is the ideal option.
I have several reasons for this: For car enthusiasts who love a good bit of speed, the Plaid Cybertruck will be the solution. It’s already got the Tri-Motor setup with a 0-60 MPH of 2.9 seconds, but the additional aerodynamics package that could come along with extra power from a bigger battery pack will give drivers even more of a punch when the accelerator hits the floorboards. Could the Plaid Cybertruck offer 2.5 seconds, or even less, from 0-60? Could this new truck be faster than some of the quickest performance vehicles in the world? It seems incredibly likely.
Next, the Tri-Motor variant of the Cybertruck already offers 14,000 pounds of towing capacity. Could the Plaid Cybertruck provide more? This would be more incentive for those owners who may be using their Cybertruck for utility, including construction. With a bigger battery pack and more horsepower, it could possibly offer 15,000 or 16,000 pounds of towing capability. While the Cybertruck is considered a large pickup, its Tri-Motor configuration is already capable of 14,000 pounds, 800 pounds more than the 2020 Ford F-150, which offers a class-leading 13,200 pounds of towing capacity.
Finally, the unique aesthetics of the Cybertruck are something that cannot be matched. We use the word polarizing a lot, and for a good reason: there is nothing like the Cybertruck on the market. Not only on the outside but the inside, too. The truck’s recycled dash, expansive and bright dash screen, interior LED bars, all are features no other vehicle can match. It truly is polarizing, unique, and individualized in every sense of the word.
The question is: How will legacy automakers compete with the Plaid Cybertruck?
We see companies everyday adapting Tesla’s minimalistic interior style. Cars that once were equipped with enough bells, whistles, and knobs for everyone in the car to play with have opted for simpler designs because the Tesla look simply makes sense and allows for more effortless operation. With that tidbit of information, we know Tesla has an impact on other automakers.
One thing other manufacturers can’t compete with is the speed and performance of Teslas because their vehicles are not powered by batteries. Most of us know that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) offer instant torque, which is why Teslas are notorious for knocking off some of the fastest cars on a drag strip.
The problem for legacy is some of their customers have left them for Tesla. Why? The design. The speed. The engineering. The innovation.
More people will leave their leases and bought out F-150s and Raptors. GMC Sierras, Toyota Tundras and Tacomas for Cybertrucks. And the reasons are all there.
While legacy automakers are stuck with the same general designs for their vehicles year in and year out, Tesla’s cars and SUVs continuously change. While the design stays the same somewhat, the cars are updated through the internet on what is becoming a weekly basis. The cars continuously improve, and you cannot do that with a legacy vehicle. To have the newest technology, you have to have the latest car, and that is not an affordable strategy for many of us.
There are, of course, going to be a few owners who have driven vehicles built by legacy automakers for their whole lives, and they will not stray away from that. And that is perfectly fine. After all, competition is what drives the economy, right?
However, legacy automakers will be forced to adapt to Tesla’s business model in order to compete with the Elon Musk-led company. Many pickup owners will seek speed, engineering, and towing capacity so they can have the most powerful and fastest truck on the market. The Plaid Cybertruck will offer that, and other trucks will not. Plain and simple.
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Elon Musk
Trump’s invite for Elon just reshuffled Tesla’s big Signature Delivery Event
Tesla rescheduled its final Model S farewell to May 20 after Musk joined Trump in China.
Tesla has rescheduled its Model S and Model X Signature Edition delivery event to Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after abruptly calling off the original May 12 celebration. The event will take place at Tesla’s factory at 45500 Fremont Boulevard in Fremont, California, the same location where the Model S first rolled off the line in 2012. Invitees received a follow-up email asking them to reconfirm attendance and download a new QR code ticket, with Tesla noting that all travel and accommodation expenses remain the buyer’s responsibility.
The reason behind the original cancellation came into focus the same day it was announced. President Trump invited Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, and executives from Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Citigroup, and Meta to join his trip to China this week for a summit with President Xi Jinping. The agenda covers trade, artificial intelligence, export controls, Taiwan, and the Iran war, following weeks of escalating friction between Washington and Beijing over AI technology, sanctions, and rare earth exports. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all.”
Tesla launches 200mph Model S “Gold” Signature in invite-only purchase
The vehicles at the center of all this are the last Model S and Model X units Tesla will ever build. Priced at $159,420 each, the 250 Model S and 100 Model X Signature Edition units come finished in Garnet Red with a one-year no-resale agreement, giving Tesla right of first refusal if the owner decides to sell. As Teslarati reported, the Model S defined Tesla’s early identity as a serious luxury automaker, and the Fremont factory line that built it is now being converted to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots.
Musk’s inclusion in the China delegation drew attention given his very public relationship with Trump, and the invitation signals the two have moved past and past grievances. Trump originally brought Musk on to lead the Department of Government Efficiency following his inauguration, and despite a sharp public dispute in mid-2025, the two have appeared together repeatedly in recent months. A seat on the China trip, the most diplomatically consequential visit of Trump’s current term, puts Musk back at the table on U.S. economic policy at a moment when Tesla’s China revenue remains one of the company’s most important financial pillars.
Lifestyle
Tesla Semi hauls fresh Cybercab batch as Robotaxi era takes hold
A Tesla Semi was filmed hauling Cybercab units out of Giga Texas for the first time.
A Tesla Semi loaded with Cybercab units was recently filmed leaving Gigafactory Texas, marking what appears to be the first documented delivery run of Tesla’s autonomous two-seater. The footage shows multiple Cybercabs secured on a flatbed trailer being hauled by a production Tesla Semi, a truck rated for a gross combination weight of 82,000 lbs. The location is consistent with Giga Texas in Austin, where Cybercab production has been ramping since February 2026.
The sighting follows a wave of Cybercab activity at the Austin facility. In late April, drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer spotted approximately 60 Cybercabs parked in two organized groups in the factory’s outbound lot, the largest concentration observed to date. Units being staged in an outbound lot is a standard pre-delivery step, and the Semi footage is the logical next frame in that sequence.
En route with @tesla_semi pic.twitter.com/ZfuOjaeLH1
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) May 7, 2026
This is not the first time Tesla has used its own Semi to move Tesla products. When the Semi was unveiled in 2017, Musk noted it would be used for Tesla’s own operations, and over the years Semi prototypes were spotted carrying cargo ranging from concrete weights to Tesla vehicles being delivered to consumers. In 2023, a Semi was photographed transporting a Cybertruck on a trailer ahead of that vehicle’s delivery launch.
The Cybercab itself was first revealed publicly at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event on October 10, 2024, at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, where 20 pre-production units gave attendees rides around the studio lot. Musk stated at the event that Tesla intends to produce the Cybercab before 2027. The first production unit rolled off the Giga Texas line on February 17, 2026, with Musk posting on X: “Congratulations to the Tesla team on making the first production Cybercab.”
Tesla’s annual production goal is 2 million Cybercabs per year once multiple factories reach full design capacity, with the company targeting a price under $30,000 per unit. Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its robotaxi service to seven cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, building on the unsupervised service already running in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year.
Tesla has taken home the “Overall Loyalty to Make” award from S&P Global Mobility for the fourth consecutive year, reinforcing Tesla owners’ willingness to come back. The 2025 awards are based on S&P Global Mobility’s analysis of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. from October 2024 through September 2025. The complete list of 2025 winners includes General Motors for Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer, Tesla for Overall Loyalty to Make, Chevrolet Equinox for Overall Loyalty to Model, Mini for Most Improved Make Loyalty, Subaru for Overall Loyalty to Dealer, and Tesla again for both Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make and Highest Conquest Percentage.
Tesla’s streak in this category started in 2022, and the brand has now won the Highest Conquest Percentage award for six straight years, meaning it keeps pulling buyers away from other brands at a rate no competitor has matched. Tesla’s retention among Asian households reached 63.6% and among Hispanic households 61.9%, rates that significantly outpace national averages for those groups. That breadth of appeal across demographics adds a layer of significance to a win that some might dismiss as routine.
The timing matters too. After several consecutive quarters of decline, Tesla’s share of U.S. EV sales jumped to 59% in Q4 2025. That rebound, arriving just as competitors were flooding the market with new models and incentives, suggests Tesla’s loyalty numbers are not simply the result of limited alternatives. Buyers are still choosing it when they have plenty of other options.
What keeps Tesla owners coming back has a lot to do with the and convenience of charging. The Supercharger network is the most straightforward example. With over 65,000 Superchargers globally, it remains the largest and most reliable fast-charging network in the world, and owners who have built their routines around it face a real practical cost when considering a switch. Competitors have made progress, but the consistency, speed, and availability of Tesla’s network is still the benchmark the rest of the industry is chasing. Then there is the software side. Tesla has built a model where the car you own today is functionally different from the car you bought two years ago, through over-the-air updates that add continuous game-changing improvements such as Full Self-Driving that has moved from a driver-assist feature to an increasingly capable autonomous system. For many Tesla owners, leaving the brand means starting over with a car that will not get meaningfully better over time, and that is a trade-off fewer and fewer are willing to make.
NASA updated Artemis III and SpaceX’s role just got more complicated
Tesla is making sweeping improvements to Robotaxi
