In July this year we brought you news that Tesla was planning to follow up its successful Roadster model by manufacturing a saloon car. Now, more details have come to light about its plans.
The saloon will be known as the Tesla Model S and unlike the Roadster, which was based on a Lotus platform, it will be developed completely in-house. The vehicle will be a five-passenger, four-door model that should come to market in 2010 once the company’s California plant is complete.
Capitalising on the latest battery technology, the Model S will also use the lithium-ion batteries incorporated by the Roadster but its body will be formed from aluminium rather than carbon fibre. The company hopes to sell around 20,000 of the new vehicles a year.
The Model S will enter the market at a cheaper price than the Roadster, which costs a neat $100,000. There will be three versions available: one with a 160mile range for $60,000; one with a 220mile range for $68,000; and one with a 300mile range, the price of which has yet to be determined.
If the vehicle is produced successfully with the retail price outlined it is expected to be seen as serious competition for the Chevy Volt, which still requires petroleum and is expected to retail for more than $40,000.
