A camouflaged Tesla Model S prototype has been spotted on Wednesday conducting high-speed testing on Germany’s Nürburgring track.
The model was captured by Carscoops and shows slight exterior design changes both in the front and back, with a new front bumper and rear diffuser, which are linked to aerodynamic efficiency and downforce at high speeds.
The photos from the track show the return of the front bumper camera, which is also included in the Model Y and Cybertruck, and 21-inch wheels, similar to those included in the refreshed Model 3 Performance.
In mid-2023, the Model S Plaid set a new Nürburgring lap record at 7:25.231. However, it was outperformed by Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, at 7:07.55 in early 2024 and, more recently, Xiaomi Su7 Ultra, which recorded 6:46.87 minutes.
The first iteration of Tesla‘s flagship Model S was introduced in June 2012 with the first facelift coming nearly four years later in April 2016.
In an interview with Ride the Lightning podcast, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy teased in February that both premium Model S and Model X would get a facelift by late-2025. “Just give it a minute, we’ll get there,” he stated.
Over the last twelve months, Tesla has hiked multiple times the price of both the Model S and Model X in some of its key markets including North America but also Europe.
Recently, and due to the escalating tariffs by the U.S. administration on Chinese goods, Tesla has halted new orders for both models in China.
Unlike the refreshed Model Y and the Model 3 sedan, these models are not manufactured in Shanghai’s Gigafactory, but in the U.S. plants exposing them to the higher duties.
Earlier this week, Elon Musk was interviewed at the Qatar Economic Forum, where he said that Tesla‘s “sales are doing well at this point.”
The CEO said Europe is Tesla’s “weakest market,” defending that sales are “strong everywhere else.”
The company’s first quarter results were below Wall Street expectations, both financial and in terms of vehicle deliveries.
Weaker-than-expected sales and Elon Musk’s political activity concerned analysts and shareholders. Despite that, Tesla‘s stock has surged 85% over the last twelve months as the company switches its focus to autonomy and Optimus, its humanoid robot.
The company plans to launch its ride-hailing service in Austin late next month with the first batch of fully autonomous Model Y and a new, more affordable model over the next few months.
