Other leaks point to a possible “base plus AWD” trim level, new wheel options (including 20-inch “dark staggered” stiletto wheels) and a since-confirmed switch to in-house tire pressure sensors instead of the earlier Continental hardware.

There’s no guarantee that Tesla will implement the battery, performance or wheel upgrades. This is a company known to add and cut features on the fly as its sales and production capabilities change, and what’s in the pipeline now could be axed later.

The battery upgrade did appear to survive a code purge, though, hinting that Tesla is at least keeping upgrades like this in its back pocket. There are a number of reasons why a 100kWh pack could make sense, for that matter. It’s clear that Tesla’s technology is advancing when the automaker claims that its upcoming Roadster will sport a 200kWh battery and a 620-mile range. It might soon be feasible to stuff a 100kWh battery into the smaller confines of a Model 3. For that matter, the Model 3 is clearly Tesla’s most popular car. A larger battery could help Tesla sustain interest, at least among customers who are willing to pay a premium for a relatively small vehicle.

In 2016, Musk tweeted that Plaid would be reserved for the upcoming Roadster, so it appears that plans have changed. He explained today in another tweet that the triple motor Plaid setup is “about a year away,” with plans to make it available into the Model S, X and Roadster, but not the cheaper/smaller Model 3 or Y.

The only thing beyond Ludicrous is Plaid

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2019

Yes. To be clear, Plaid powertrain is about a year away from production & applies to S,X & Roadster, but not 3 or Y. Will cost more than our current offerings, but less than competitors.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2019

This isn’t quite the Taycan-fighting Nürburgring run Musk had initially promised we’d see this week, but he later mentioned the company would need to do more review and testing ahead of the attempt.

Our friends at Autoblog have picked up spy shots of a modified Model S P100D that is, as Musk promised, driving around the German roadway right now, so hopefully the battle between sporty EVs will get some comparable data soon.

*~ Some personal news ~*

We lapped Laguna Seca @WeatherTechRcwy in 1:36.555 during advanced R&D testing of our Model S Plaid powertrain and chassis prototype

(That’s a second faster than the record for a four-door sedan) pic.twitter.com/OriccK4KCZ

— Tesla (@Tesla) September 12, 2019