VIDEO: Franz von Holzhausen talks about the 2011 Tesla Model S
2011 Tesla Model S - Click above for a high-res image gallery
The crew from On Cars had a chance to spend some quality time with the Tesla Model S and some of the key people bringing this sweet sedan to fruition. In the first of three videos (the other two haven't been released yet), not only are we treated to some gorgeous shots of the Model S, inside and out, but also have the chance to listen to designer Franz von Holzhausen talk at length about the object of our fastback desire. If you've been paying attention to every detail released about the all-electric so far, there might not be a lot of new material for you here, though interestingly, the Model S does get the year 2011 attached to it. That seems a little soon seeing as a factory hasn't been built or acquired yet, but we digress.
Even if you do happen to know every bit of Model S minutiae, it is nice to hear the passion and excitement Franz has for the project as he talks with ardor about proportion and aerodynamics. You can see why Tesla chief, Elon Musk hired him on in the first place. But enough jabbering, hit the jump and check it out for yourself.
Gallery: Tesla Model S
Gallery: Tesla Model S: LIVE REVEAL
[Source: On Cars]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sam 8:13PM (6/09/2009)
hot
Reply
zamafir 12:44AM (6/10/2009)
i'm not sure why they were so eager to sue, i prefer this to to karma.
Todd 1:36AM (6/10/2009)
You talking about Franz?
Andre 8:14PM (6/09/2009)
Love the Model S..
Reply
John P. 8:22PM (6/09/2009)
Really great work here. I think the future looks bright for these guys and the auto industry in general. I could see myself driving that. :)
Reply
Ron 8:24PM (6/09/2009)
This has to be one of the nicest designed sedans I've ever seen.
Reply
groundZ 8:28PM (6/09/2009)
Something bothers me about Elon Musk. The way the designer talked about it was complete passion and love for the Model S, but Musk just sounded like a promoter, not a parent.
Reply
no. 12:34AM (6/10/2009)
Elon is the CEO.
AC 1:12AM (6/10/2009)
That's exactly how some of the greatest products are killed. Much like the late EV1 electric vehicle by GM back in 1999.
Profit vs Practicality
Businessmen vs Engineer/Designer
Adam 4:22AM (6/10/2009)
Either that or the guy was caught by the video production team in the middle of a noisy event and had a lot on his mind.
homunculus 8:31PM (6/09/2009)
beautiful car. i'm not a fan of the huge touchscreen dash though. a few buttons and dials would have gone a long way.
Reply
ACURA23CL 1:44PM (6/10/2009)
I agree. To be honest. I think it was a very tacky choice. It's looks like something you'd see on Pimp My Ride. Great tech, but an over-abundance is just tacky. You know, much of the interior beauty of a vehicle lies in the sculpted looks of it, and how the offered functional buttons fit into that sculpture. As beautiful and sculpted as the exterior is, I'm very surprised that they went this direction in the interior. With the HUGE touch screen, the IP seems very bland, generic, and tacky.
Conundrum 8:49PM (6/09/2009)
The Saturn model S by Tesla brought to you by Penske?
Reply
Matt 9:14PM (6/09/2009)
The front has like a Maserati GranTurism style front.... anyone else see this?
Reply
thomas 9:57PM (6/09/2009)
its got the "V" in the center of the oval grill, making it look maserati-esque..... otherwise, it doesn't really "look" like the granturismo.
you will find similarities in certain elements of cars.... grills for example come in many shapes in sizes, but several can be described as being similar to others, however, its the way that the rest of the design interacts and compliments/contrasts with that grill that will set each car apart.
people focus too much on certain details and are quick to judge and compare, try to evaluate the whole design, and, of course, in person
Aznauto 9:30PM (6/09/2009)
No thanks i stay away from American designed cars as do even most Americans. As for Telsa i give them a year before they get bailed out again.
Reply
arturo 9:38PM (6/09/2009)
Read your comment and try getting some sense out of it. As of this design, I just think its beautiful inside and out. Something I would like to have parked outside my house and be proud of it. Unlike the Prius or Insight which are plain ugly.
thomas 10:09PM (6/09/2009)
how ignorant must you be?
what is your idea of a not american designed car? because there are american designers everywhere. and tons of american cars are designed by designers from overseas. the Tesla Roadster was designed by Lotus, for example. Which is a British company, last i checked.
PSMac 12:26AM (6/10/2009)
The Tesla Roadster was not designed by Lotus. The structural design is based on a Lotus and it started out being manufactured by Lotus, but it was designed in the US.
thomas 5:09PM (6/10/2009)
@PSmac
...... by Lotus
which returns us to my question: what makes a car american designed?
cars today are so global its very hard to pin a design on just one region.
many car companies have multiple studios all over the world; US (detroit, Southern CA), Europe (England, Italy, Germany), Asia (Japan, Korea, China, India)
and those studios are filled with designers from all over the world.