Confirmation that the new refreshed Model S will indeed be able to “seat up to 7 people” was given by Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk. The CEO confirmed in a comment that Tesla will offer a 7 seat option in the refreshed vehicle, although it is currently not offering it yet.
The Model S Plaid was introduced in 2019 and upon its unveiling Musk rereleased that it would come with the option for third-row jump seats. Tesla originally offered a kit of two rear-facing seats in the trunk of the Model S an option. However, it did not allow for seven adult passengers as the jump seats could only fit smaller children. With demand not as strong as they would hope, Tesla later discontinued the option.
Elon Musk has been promising to bring back the third-row seats option in the Model S since the announcement of the new Model S Plaid. However, this time, the seats are expected be big enough to fit adults.
Musk unveiled the upcoming Model S and Model X refresh as well as the Model S Plaid in January during the automaker’s Q4 and 2020 earnings call. Upon its unveiling the seven-seat configuration wasn’t an option.
That however, seems to be changing as the Tesla CEO reiterated via Twitter, that the new Model S will in fact be able to “seat up to 7 people”:
Will it be an after-purchase accessory? Perhaps, but as of right now it is not an option on Tesla’s configurator. It is important to note that Musk specifically mentioned the Model S Plaid and not the Long Range or Plaid+.
Tesla looks like it is on the brink of customer deliveries of the refreshed Model S as a drone recently captured some early production units at the automaker’s Fremont factory, one of which appeared to have a third row of seats. More recently, a small batch of the refreshed vehicles were spotted on a carrier leaving the automaker’s factory in Fremont, CA.