Tesla, Toyota plot electric RAV4 for 2012
Tesla and Toyota said Friday that the two companies inked a deal to start development of the RAV4, a small SUV, for launch in 2012.
In May, Tesla and Toyota announced the plans to cooperate on electric vehicles. Now Tesla and Toyota are making those plans official.
Specifically, Toyota and Tesla will prototype the RAV4 with a Tesla electric powertrain. A fleet of prototypes will be delivered to Toyota for testing this year, said Tesla.
Toyota and Tesla have become increasingly chummy. Toyota is an investor in Tesla and the two companies are collaborating on electric vehicle parts, production and engineering. Telsa also bought a Toyot
a factory in Palo Alto to ramp production of its Model S electric sedan.
It has been a busy month for Tesla as the company launched an IPO, redesigned its Web site and hired George Blankenship, an Apple and Gap veteran, to build out the company's retail strategy.
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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com