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Showing posts with label Tesla Model S. Show all posts

Color Me White: Tesla Displays Slightly Updated Model X Prototype at Detroit Motor Show

Monday, January 14, 2013

Tesla’s second model after the Model S all-electric saloon will be the Model X crossover, which was on display at the automaker’s stand at the Detroit Motor Show.

Although we’ll have to wait for the automaker’s press conference to find out more about the seven-seater electric SUV that's based on the chassis and running gear of the Model S, the only visible exterior difference to the prototype that was launched last year is the white, instead of silver, paint and the alloy wheels’ design.

Friday, December 21, 2012

With U.S. deliveries having started since June, Tesla Motors is now introducing its Model S all-electric luxury saloon in the European market – but only in its higher-end versions.

For the time being, Tesla announced that it will offer only the 60- and 85-kWh battery pack versions, leaving the 40-kWh edition out of the Model S' European range.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

While fiddling around with Tesla's new battery-powered Model S, the crew at Road&Track magazine wanted to have their 6 seconds of ~~fame~~ fun by performing something that looks, but never really sounds, like a proper burnout.

The result? As one commentator named Jason Pischke put it on the publication's YouTube channel, "Well that was... ummm, I'm just going to go with awkward".

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Just like cars powered by conventional, internal combustion engines (ICE), electric vehicles or EVs have their pros and cons.

While most people wouldn't consider speed as a strong point of electric cars, truth is, under certain circumstances and depending, of course, on the setup and several other factors, EVs can better their ICE counterparts, one reason being that electric motors produce all of their torque instantly.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Two months ago, Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said that his company would deliver 5,000 units of its Model S this year. Yet, when he was interviewed on Bloomberg Television’s “In the Loop with Betty Liu” on September 21, he was reluctant to confirm that the company’s electric saloon would indeed meet its initial sales target.

“I need to be very hesitant about talking about any near-term metrics for Tesla”, said Musk who, nevertheless, was buoyant about Tesla’s 2013 targets claiming that it will deliver 20,000 units and achieve a gross margin of “more than 20 percent”.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk says he wants to shift 5,000 examples of the new Model S electric saloon this year and four times that in 2013. It's a very ambitious target so, naturally, any endorsement is more than welcome; especially if it comes from the nation’s largest auto retailer.

Labeling it, “a first-rate car” and “the best electric car I've ever driven", does the job nicely, thank you. That’s exactly what AutoNation Inc. CEO Mike Jackson said after driving the car during his visit to a showroom near Tesla’s HQ on August 15, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Friday, June 8, 2012

If you are into cars, your next visit to the shopping mall may become a little more interesting - if Tesla Motors gets its way. On Friday, May 25, Tesla opened its first U.S. store of the year and its 22-second worldwide, at The Westchester shopping center in White Plains, New York.

Opening a car dealership in a mall sounds like a strange idea since nobody goes to a shopping center to buy a car, but according to George Blankenship of former Apple fame, that's the whole idea.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Even though first deliveries won't begin until fall of 2012, Tesla has dropped final U.S. pricing and options on its most ambitious project to date, the new 2012 Model S electric sports saloon.

The BMW 5-Series-sized sedan is available for order in two trim levels, basic and Performance.

The basic version is offered with a choice of three battery options with 40 kWh, 60 kWh and 85 kWh, priced at $57,400, $67,400 and $77,400 respectively or $49,900, $59,900 and $69,900 respectively after a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Model S saloon that was previewed earlier this month in Beta form, the upcoming performance version of the same model as well as the RAV-4 EV that it will be produced in cooperation with Toyota, are not the only plans Tesla CEO Elon Musk has in mind for the Silicon Valley-based brand.

The company is also working on an EV crossover based on the Model S while Musk recently told Autocar magazine that Telsa is also planning to launch a BMW 3-Series rival and an all-new Roadster in 2014.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Lexus may like to swagger about the new 2013 GS sedan's available 12.3-inch touchscreen, but when it comes to ultimate bragging rights, Tesla is king with the Model S' truly gigantic 17-inch multitouch display.

The crew over at Autoblog.com shot a video of the upcoming Model S during the presentation of the car earlier this month with a Tesla spokesperson highlighting its attributes.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Last Saturday Tesla opened up its NUMI factory to 3,000 guests and revealed both the production line and, more importantly, the Model S Beta. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, drove on stage in a Beta Model S with passengers occupying all seats, including the rear facing seats.

Musk presented the car’s features, such as the 17-inch touch screen and the voice command audio system to the large audience. He also said that this Beta version is very close to the actual production car in terms of fit, finish and performance. Then the company’s customers went on to get their first real taste of their future car driving it on a slalom course.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

It’s not the first time we've shown you the Model S, Tesla’s 5-passenger-plus-2-children electric 5-Series rival on video, even though deliveries aren’t expected to begin before 2012. And the Roadster has gotten its fair share of coverage too.

But seeing the two Tesla models silently drive side by side down an empty desert road is a good enough excuse to show the two EV sports cars again – especially the gorgeous Model S.

You can watch the video after the jump, but please don’t complain about the music: in this case it’s entirely appropriate since you wouldn’t hear anything anyway.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Tesla Motors has just released a preliminary, unaudited financial report concerning the year than ended on Dec. 31, 2010. The company reported losses of US$51.4 million in Q4 2010 and US$154.3 million for 2010, which was almost triple the US$55.74 million loss for the year ending Dec. 31, 2009.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

It has been a long journey, but it looks like the Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan is one step closer to series production as the California-based automaker announced it is moving on to the final road tests. The first phase called Alpha, which began in 2010, includes both computer simulations and test-drives of prototype vehicles. There will be a Beta phase as well.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Tesla recently finalized its purchase of the advanced (and apparently extremely clean) NUMMI production facility in order to build its upcoming Model S sedan. Tesla hopes to build as many as 20,000 units per year in the southern California facility that's capable of building one million units annually.

Other than some potential spin-offs using the Model S platform (like an electric GT), there's a lot of capacity. That's where Toyota steps in. Toyota and Tesla will be working together to develop electric vehicles. their parts, and the engineering behind them.

The new facility will hire up to 1,000 new employees initially from one of the brightest pools around: Silicon Valley.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Electric sports car maker Tesla opened its first UK dealership in the heart of London at the Knightsbridge district. The 5,000 square-foot showroom on Cheval Place which is in walking distance from Harrods department store and convenient to Heathrow Airport will act as Tesla's European flagship store and will be followed by sales and service centers in Monaco, Munich and Zurich as well as four new stores in the United States.

The company said that it will begin delivering cars to European customers this summer of which the first 250 will be the Signature Edition Roadster model, priced from £94,000 on the road, but UK customers will have to wait until early 2010 for the first right-hand drive models. All in all, Tesla said that it has received 1,300 European orders for the all-electric Roadster model.

"Thanks to an abundance of discriminating drivers and progressive public policy, Tesla is already well known in Europe," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "We expect the London store to dramatically increase our brand identity throughout the continent, and with right hand drive models now due at the beginning of next year, the UK market will provide a solid foundation on which to build this."

Along with the Roadster, Tesla said that is also taking reservations for the four-door Model S sports saloon that is due for production in late 2011.

Tesla Accepts More Than 700 Pre-Orders for Model-S in Two Weeks

Sunday, April 12, 2009

In spite of the fact that the first examples of the Model S won't roll off the company's production line in California before late 2011, Tesla Motors has received 711 orders for its all-electric sports sedan in the two weeks that followed the unveiling of the car. The estimated base price of the Model S is $49,900 after a US federal tax credit of $7,500, with customers required to pay a $2,000 refundable deposit. There's also a Signature Edition that will be produced in 2,000 units which requires a hefty $40,000 reserve fee which is also refundable.

The Model S that can accommodate up to seven passengers -five adults and two children at the rear cargo area- features an electric drivetrain launching the sports sedan from zero to 60mph (96km/h) in 5.6 seconds and on to a an electronically limited top speed of 120 mph (209 km/h).

The sports sedan come with three available battery pack choices that offer a range of 160, 230, or 300 miles (257, 370 or 482 kilometers) per charge. The lithium-ion batteries can be recharged from any 120V, 208V or 240V outlet or quick-charged from an external direct current supply in 45 minutes.

Tesla Model S Sports Sedan: First Live Videos on the Road

Monday, March 30, 2009

These are the first videos with driving footage of Tesla's all-electric Model S sports saloon that was introduced last week to the members of the press more than two years ahead of its scheduled U.S. and European market debut in late 2011. From the looks of it, the Model S was filmed making a few rounds on the road before and after the official presentation in Hawthorne, California, with the company's CEO Elon Musk behind the steering wheel. Hit the jump to watch the videos.

Tesla Model S Electric Sport Sedan: High-Res Gallery and Official Details

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The wraps finally came off Tesla's all-new, plug-in electric sports sedan, the Model S, on Thursday in Los Angeles. Concisely, the Model S can seat up to seven passengers (we'll explain this below), sprint from zero to 60mph or 96km/h in just 5.6 seconds and go up to 300 miles or 480km on a single charge. First deliveries in North America and Europe will begin in late 2011 with the U.S. model featuring a base price of $57,400 or $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500.

Now onto a more detailed view on the Model S. The photos reveal that Tesla's designers were heavily influenced by European cars and in particular the Jaguar XF when it came to the notchback's buttocks and profile and to a less extent, the Maserati GranTurismo for the car's front-end styling. Similarities aside, the Model S looks the part and we reckon that its design will be one of its strong points.

So what's with the seven seats, we hear you ask? Well, Tesla claims that the Model S which has an overall length of 196-inches (4,978mm) or somewhere between a BMW 5 and 7-Series, offers seating for five adults plus two rear-facing and foldable seats for children in the rear cargo area. Even in this configuration, the Model S can still carry some of your luggage as it has a second trunk under the hood.

Tesla's second model after the Roadster comes equipped with an electric drivetrain that includes an electric motor, a floor-mounted lithium-ion battery pack and a single-speed gearbox, launching the BMW 5-Series-sized sports sedan from naught to 60mph (96km/h) in 5.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 130 mph or 209 km/h. In the near future, Tesla aims to enrich the Model S' range with Sport and AWD versions.

The Model S will be available with three different battery pack options capable of offering a range of up to 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge. Tesla said that the battery pack can be quick-charged in 45 minutes at a cost of about $4 - or so the California-based company claims.

2011 Tesla Model S All-Electric Sports Sedan Photos Leaked!

The first official photographs of Tesla's highly anticipated Model S have been prematurely leaked into the internet ahead of the all-electric sports sedan's official debut which is scheduled for this afternoon in Los Angeles. And yes, the first thing that came up to our mind is that the Model S's rear-end and profile bear a 'chilling resemblance to the new Jaguar XF.

Tesla's new proposal is set to arrive on the market in late 2011 with an anticipated base price of $57,400 or $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. We'll have more info and photos of the Model S latter on in the day.

Via: Jalopnik