Tesla lifts the skirt on the Model S, full exposure coming March 26
by Sam Abuelsamid on Feb 12th 2009 at 9:29AM 
Click the Model S to enlarge
A couple months back, we got a glimpse of the rear bumper of Tesla's Model S via a BusinessWeek article on the company. Early this morning, we finally got an official shot from the company that provides some real clues. Given the past history between Tesla and Fisker Automotive, the obvious comparison is with the Karma. One difference that's immediately obvious is the length of the nose. Since Tesla opted to go with batteries only for energy storage, designer Franz von Holzhausen didn't have to accommodate a range extender under the hood. The whole car appears to be at least a foot shorter than the Karma.
At this point, Tesla plans to offer the Model S with several battery options; the base setup will provide a 160 mile nominal range. Like the Roadster, the motor in the Model S drives the rear wheels. We'll be seeing the rest of the car on March 26, by which time Tesla hopes to have a final decision on its DOE loan application so that they can make other announcements about production.
[Source: Tesla]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Alex 9:41AM (2/12/2009)
so far so good...
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Mobius_1 11:27AM (2/12/2009)
That's what I would have said had Porsche done this with the Panamera. No nasty surprises, please, Tesla.
Fatima 2:05PM (2/12/2009)
They really need to have a gas generator and solar panel(to power fan in summer).
I like to go on out of state road trips I cant drive 160miles then wait 3hrs for it to charge!
Jake B 4:30PM (2/12/2009)
Fatima, why not get a sensible car to make long distance trips in then.
Carlos 9:42AM (2/12/2009)
they should get the tesla in production without hitches before they move onto another model
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davekoifman 9:49AM (2/12/2009)
So when gm, chrysler, ford have every model with a bunch of hitches, should they wait until all the hitches are sorted out ? they would completely stop producing cars.....
...wouldnt be the worst thing in the world.
anyways, the teslas main problem (transmission) has been solved. there isnt anything really wrong with it. i say go ahead with this second model. they should start expanding over here to the east coast =]
Marc-O 6:52PM (2/12/2009)
If by "the Tesla" you mean the Roadster, it's been in production for quite a while... Well over 100 customers took delivery already... Not sure what you mean.
Hank Fidel 9:50AM (2/12/2009)
Looks good to me
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Eddie 9:50AM (2/12/2009)
Does it come with Lorinser wheels?
http://www.spoiledcars.com/Pictures/LORINSER%20-%20type-lm6-silver.jpg
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KeatMP 9:54AM (2/12/2009)
hahah. Evidently.
I was gonna say the wheels look like their off of the saab concept car.
Rick 10:14AM (2/12/2009)
Or on a budget, you can get the reps. Looks just as nice.
Tesla Ch. 11 10:08AM (2/12/2009)
they can show us the concept all they want. It will be a LONG while before it's ever available if available at all. This shady car company is going to have kiss major rear end to get DOE money to help keep it afloat. I hope they fail just for the fact that the company that didn't want to be like the typical car dealership ended up being like one with their bait and switch tactics.
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thomas 1:41AM (2/13/2009)
i'm sensing some bias....... i dunno. i'm just getting this vibe from you that somehow you want Tesla to file for Bankruptcy.
why is that?
Torrent 10:17AM (2/12/2009)
Looks like an insignia/200C.
Still not bad.
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BosGav 10:43AM (2/12/2009)
Looks good! Hope it works.
We need NEW cars like this.
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JORDAN 10:33AM (2/12/2009)
Thise wheels were ripped right off the SAAB Aero X concept
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thomas 1:43AM (2/13/2009)
that was not the first car to use airplane turbines as its inspiration for wheels, believe me.
at this point the look is practically generic.
AngeloD 10:36AM (2/12/2009)
In order to raise operating capital Tesla is accepting deposits from customers for future deliveries. When has that shoddy business practice ever worked?
Tesla will be history in under 6 months tops.
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jake 12:53PM (2/12/2009)
That's how all the small EV companies are doing it nowadays, even Fisker.
There's no way they would be able to raise enough capital otherwise. They have some pretty zealous customers so they can use this deposit system to raise money without much fear of too many jumping ship (as long as the product is compelling).
Gary 11:08AM (2/12/2009)
This looks good... so far. The $60,000 price though, is a bit on the pricey side. We'll see how much content it has at that price. Will it be a luxury car, or your typical sedan except with an electic drivetrain?
For greenies who are desperate to get into an electric car, the Volt will be relatively attractive at $40,000--plus you don't have to worry about your battery unexpectedly dying in the middle of nowhere when pushing your luck or the drivetrain hard. Hmmm... I'd like to know the content of the Volt at that price too.
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