Tesla Motors set to reveal Model X
What will a seven-passenger, all electric, luxury crossover vehicle, that will "incorporate the functionality of a minivan with the consumer appeal of a sports utility vehicle" look like? We'll find out February 9, according to numerous reports.
A select group of investors already glimpsed the Model X, Tesla Motor's planned third production vehicle, late last month. Among the impossible-sounding accolades flying around Twitter about the new model is that it will be faster than a Porche 911 and roomier than an Audi A7. Then again, an electric sports car that can go from o to 60 in under 4 seconds and get nearly 250 miles on a single charge sounded impossible, too. But then the Tesla Roadster was born.
Rumor had it that the Model X would make its public debut at this week's Detroit auto show, but what's a few more weeks of waiting? Details are few thus far, but Tesla raised more than $200 million to fund Model X development and hopes to produce 15,000 per year, once production ramps up in 2014 or maybe 2013.
John Voelcker at Green Car Reports believes the Model X might sport all-wheel-drive (at least as an option) and cost at least as much as the Model S, the sports-car-meets-sedan, starting at around $50,000 for a base model, that Tesla says it will begin delivering this July. Many automotive pundits say that production goal is lofty at best, pointing to the complexity of ramping up production of any car, let alone a luxury EV with a 300-mile range. In any case, many a deep-pocketed driver is eager to see Tesla surprise everyone again.
[Via: CNET]
Image: Flickr/niallkennedy
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com