Electric supercar maker Tesla has finally released details of its new Model X, set to join its Model S saloon model and its original Roadster model.
Details of the long-awaited third model from the Silicon Valley start-up confirmed suspicions that the electric car maker was to make an SUV crossover type model its next move, with the new prototype model also featuring falcon-wing doors for the rear passengers and blistering acceleration from 0-60mpg in 4.4 seconds.
Despite its large dimensions, with room for seven in total and four wheel drive, the new Model X is expected to boast better performance than a Porsche 911.
Presenting the new, uncompromising model at Tesla’s design studios in California, Elon Musk, the company’s CEO said: “It has more room than a minivan, more style than an SUV and more performance than a sports car.”
The falcon-wing doors work like traditional gullwing doors but use a hinge in the middle to allow the door to raise up while remaining close to the body of the car, allowing access for passengers even when there is little space.
“You can get in and out in the tightest garage or parking spot without hitting the wall or car next to you, or your head,” Musk said.
Using the same platform as the new Model S, the Model X promises generous interior space, with plenty of room for luggage as well as seven people. With no combustion engine to accommodate, the Model X has effectively two load areas to take luggage, one at the front where the engine bay would be, and at the rear.
It is expected that the X will offer the same 40, 60 and 80kWh battery packs as the S, but as the model is heavier than its sedan sibling, range for each battery option will be about 10 per cent less, starting from around 150 miles to near 300 miles. The flat battery pack will sit in the floor of the car’s platform, to keep a low centre of gravity, for better road handling and uncompromised interior space.
Order book for the new model open from midday PST (8pm GMT) today, with production scheduled to start late in late 2013 and deliveries beginning in 2014. Prices will start from a similar point as the model S at around $60,000, rising to around $90 000 for the most powerful battery option. Between 10,000 and 15,000 models will be made in the car’s first year of production.
