Tesla Model X Crossover Teased

We still have to wait until July for the first Tesla Model S sedans to go on sale. Even so, that's not stopping the automaker from announcing a new model that the company has been working on, alongside the Model S, called the Model X.

Based off the Model S, the Tesla Model X is a crossover. It will be unveiled to the public via the company's website at 8 p.m. PST on Feb. 9, according to a tweet from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The vehicle will officially debut at the company's Los Angeles Design Studio park. No word on if the new model will also be shown at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, which will be underway at the time.

According to Tesla, the Model X combines the functionality of a minivan with the design of an SUV. Since the crossover features the Model S' powertrain and platform, Tesla believes it can get the Model X out quickly. With development already underway, the company expects a late-2013 delivery.

Tesla Model S Gets Official Price of $57,400

As the Tesla Model S prepares to go on sale later next year, the car company has reaffirmed its previous pricing strategy. The sedan will start at $57,400, though the first models available will be the Model S Signature trim, which will start at $95,400. All models are eligible for a maximum $7,500 tax credit if you meet a tax liability of at least that amount.

While all vehicles are powered by the same electric motor, the battery capacity will vary depending on what you’re willing to pay. The standard 40-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery allows the Model S to go 160 miles when traveling at average speeds of 55 mph. There are also 60-kWh and 85-kWh batteries with ranges of 230 and 300 miles, respectively. Each increase in battery size increases the price by $10,000 — so $67,400 and $77,400, respectively.

Tesla Model S Gets Price, 2012 Release Date

We haven’t heard much from Tesla Motors since its successful initial public offering last summer. The electric car company has gone quiet, focusing on its Model S sedan. According to recent comments from CEO and co-founder Elon Musk, retail production for the EV is set to being within the next year and a half.

Deliveries should begin in mid-2012, Musk said, with the previously stated target base price of $57,400 ($49,900 with tax credits) for a Model S with a 160-mile range. A battery pack with a range of 230 miles will cost about $67,000, and a 300-mile option will top out at $77,000. If the figures stay put, the Model S will be a competitively priced full-size luxury sedan. It’s slightly larger than the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6, according to Tesla.

EV Startups Fail to Deliver on Promises

In 2007, the automotive industry was on the brink of a revolution. Large, established car companies were reeling from the gas price spike and, for the first time in decades, small startup automakers emerged, this time to build electric cars.

Some three years later, the major automakers have delivered on their promised electric vehicles, but most of the new automakers have run into trouble.

The Wheego — a Chinese-sourced, California-assembled electric car that can go 100 miles on a charge — has been delayed, according to AllCarsElectric.com. The Wheego LiFe was supposed to go on sale (with a starting price $32,995) in December, but it's held up because it's awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The automaker already has 500 orders and 32 dealerships lined up, but if there are more delays, will the interest in this EV remain?

Tesla Unveils Newest Iteration of EV Roadster

Tesla recently released information on its fourth-generation Roadster, called the Roadster 2.5. The model features some cosmetic changes, interior improvements and a larger touch-screen. 

The front clip and rear diffuser have been refreshed, supposedly to resemble stylistic cues on the upcoming Model S. Other exterior changes include new forged wheel designs. 

Under the hood, the 2.5 Roadster gets improved sound-deadening materials and something called “power control hardware” that allows the driver to maintain a vigorous driving style even under severely hot temperatures. 

 Inside, the Roadster gets improved seats that include larger bolsters and a new lumbar system for better comfort. The optional navigation system has been upgraded to a 7-inch screen with a backup camera; last year’s was a tiny in-dash unit. 

The 2.5 Roadster will be available at Tesla stores shortly. If you’re already one of the 1,000-plus owners of a Roadster, you can get many of the new features on your vehicle if you are willing to upgrade, according to Tesla. 

Check out more pictures of the Tesla Roadster 2.5 after the jump.

Tesla Stock Price Holds Steady After IPO

It’s been more than 50 years since an American automaker had an initial public offering on a U.S. stock exchange. Earlier today, Tesla broke that barrier, and despite warnings from many analysts about the risky finances of the company — and its president — the stock has been holding steady at just over $18 after dropping from its $19 opening price to $17.50 almost immediately. The stock price was originally slated for $14-$16.

Electric-car Maker Tesla Opens Strong After IPO (Los Angeles Times)

Related
Tesla's Not So Typical Dealership

Tesla's Not-So-Typical Dealership

With the recent news that Toyota will invest in electric-vehicle manufacturer Tesla, we thought it would be the perfect time to check out Tesla’s new Chicago dealership. Nestled in an industrial no man’s land just off the main freeway that bisects the city, the Chicago Tesla Store has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quality. Not that Tesla sells its lone model, the Roadster, based off of red, white and blue streamers or oversized inflatable gorillas.

Starting at $109,000, the all-electric sports car is a double-niche product. It’s a lightning-quick two-seater with no gas tank — a toy for the wealthy — yet it’s also the most environmentally friendly car currently available.

“It’s a beautiful car, and it’s different than anything out there,” said Regional Sales Manager Dustin Krause. “There are a lot of people interested for a lot of different reasons, but think of how many [Porsche] 911s are out there. It’s that type of interest, but it throws the common thinking of an electric vehicle on its head.”

Krause won’t say how many Roadsters the store has sold since its grand opening in January but assures me Tesla Chicago — one of just seven Tesla stores in the country and the only Midwestern outpost — is doing just fine. Tesla spokesman Khobi Brooklyn said the automaker has sold about 1,200 Roadsters nationwide as of April.

The formal showroom is small, with three Roadsters and a display of the electric motor accounting for most of the decor. The majority of the cars they sell are custom-ordered and shipped from the manufacturer in California, said Seneca Geise, a sales adviser in the Chicago store.

Toyota, Tesla Team Up On Electric Vehicles

No one saw this coming. Thursday night in California, Toyota President Akio Toyoda, Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that not only is Toyota investing in Tesla but that the two companies will jointly develop future electric vehicles and build them at the recently shuttered NUMMI plant in Fremont, near San Francisco.

While the $50 million investment is relatively small for Toyota — and far smaller than the $465 million federal loan Tesla secured last year — it’s the sharing of technology between the two that is most interesting.

Tesla will use Toyota’s manufacturing expertise to get the NUMMI plant churning out Tesla’s next model — the $57,000 Model S sedan — but Toyota wants to get its feet wet in the EV market. While Toyota has been one of the forerunners in hybrid drivetrains, it has been slow to embrace EVs. Nissan will have its Leaf EV on sale later this year, and Chevy will start selling its extended-range EV in the fall. Ford has already announced that it will have an EV Focus out sometime in 2011.
 
The NUMMI plant will employ 1,000 people by the time production of the Model S begins in 2012, but Musk hopes for 10,000, including suppliers.
 
Toyota Invests in Tesla to Help Reopen Calif. Plant (Detroit News)

Tesla Goes Public but Model S Delayed

Electric vehicle-maker Tesla Motors has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the first step to sell stock for its initial public offering. In the process, it revealed that the highly touted Model S sedan would not be available until at least 2012.

As orders for Tesla’s first EV, the Roadster, continue to taper, Tesla has been accepting down payments for the Model S sedan, a more affordable all-electric vehicle. The Roadster faced similar delays when it was introduced, and as with the Roadster, some people who reserved the Model S have canceled their orders.

Still, Tesla’s plan remains ambitious: Following the Model S, it says it will introduce all-electric SUVs, vans and coupes.

The automaker has a $465 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, so that might help the company get its sedan on the road by 2012.

A Look Under the Hood of Tesla Motors (The New York Times)

Real Electric Cars Not Here Quite Yet

After the 2010 Detroit auto show and the surrounding media hype, one might think we’re on the verge of zipping around in snazzy, new vehicles powered entirely by electricity. The auto show included a showcase called Electric Avenue that highlighted the future of the automobile. Cars.com writer Joe Wiesenfelder loves the idea of electric cars, but he also wants to bring us back down to earth. The truth is, electric cars still face many hurdles, and they’re still a long way away from making a sizable dent in the auto market. Read his full story to learn more about what we should actually expect from the electric future.

Beyond the Hype: Real Electric Cars Are Few or Far From Market (Cars.com)