[Year's_End]

Tesla Model S - Looks Good

It's been a long and difficult road, but Tesla Motors has made it to unveiling No. 2. After a lot of hype and delivery of 250 Tesla Roadsters, the company's Model S was unveiled today in Hawthorne, California. Tesla was incredibly careful about not leaking a lot of information before today – designing the Model S at a high-security rocket facility helped with that, but we still got a peek a few hours ago – and now that it's here, we love what we see. As for new information on the Tesla For The Rest Of Us (sort of), follow the jump for all the details and check out the gallery of high res photos below.

[Year's_End]

Two words: Fawkin hawt.

[Spec 1]

Lookin good! Way to go, Tesla!!

[blue2fire]

Is it open for orders?
Nice first car to have.

[koreez88]

Looks very very nice!
Man, I have a Tesla dealership about 10 miles away from my place, I guess I gotta stop by and check out the new sedan.

[Bobby_Light]

I want. Hotness.

[bmr760]

Sexy curves

wat? no interior shots? >:/

[218dhb]

all those pics say to me is "FU gas companies!"

at$50K starting i must say i want one like yesterday! where do i sign up?

[BMWTT135i]

Great design, anyone know how these cars hold up?

[InsaneSkippy]

It's actually quite gorgeous! Talk about motivation to "go green"

The Tesla Model S Sedan will have a 300-mile range, 45-minute fast charge capability, a 0-to-60 time of 5.5-seconds and seat seven. Production supposedly starts 3rd quarter of 2011.

[BMW F22]

Looks good!

[ChrisV]

It's gonna be relaitively expensive, and possibly not up to mass produced reliability standards, because it's a small company making just a few of them. Just think if a major manufacturer started building cars along these lines, though.

If this works even halfway decent, I feel really good about the future of electric cars.

[BMWTT135i]

Wow...

2012 Tesla Model S revealed! (updated)

Tesla officially took the wraps off its Model S luxury sedan in Los Angeles on Thursday. The car will rival other EVs, like the plug-in hybrid Fisker Karma, plus traditional luxury vehicles, like the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The Model S will be Tesla’s second model, joining the Roadster sports car, with production slated for late 2011.

Tesla has yet to announce an official on-sale date for the Model S, but the sporty EV sedan will retail from $49,900 after a $7500 tax credit when it finally rolls into dealerships. Tesla says Model S customers will be able to order the car with a 160-mile, 220-mile, or 300-mile battery pack. It’s not clear how the price will be affected by the range options.

As expected, the Model S is a rather dramatically styled four-door sedan. A sloping roofline gives it the appearance of a four-door coupe while the rear looks to have been influenced by the Jaguar XF. Designed by Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla says the front end styling of the Model S will be the future face of the electric automaker. Short front and rear overhangs not only give the Model S a clean, sporting look, but also allow for the maximum interior volume. Large 21-inch wheels sit at all four corners, giving the Model S a truly planted look.

Inside, the Model S’ interior is highlighted by a 17-inch touch screen. The large screen controls all of the vehicle’s radio, navigation and HVAC functions, and is also highly customizable. The Model S comes packed with 3G wireless internet and HD and satellite radio.

In keeping with the Model S’ green theme, Tesla uses chrome-free vegetable tanned Italian leather on interior, and 100 percent recycled PET carpeting from Futuris. The Model S also sports a panoramic roof.

Tesla claims the Model S have “more room than station wagons”, which seems to be proved by the sedan’s seating capacity: The Model S has seating for five adults, plus optional rear-facing seats for two small children in the cargo area.

But where the Model S really shines is in its performance. The electric sedan will be offered with a range of up to 300 miles with a QuickCharge system taking only 45 minutes to top off the EV’s battery, given the correct electrical connection. For those looking for even faster fueling, the Model S’ battery can also be swapped out in just five minutes, making it compatible with Shai Agassi’s Better Place initiative. The Model S’ door handles even retract for improved aerodynamics, proving Tesla really has an eye for efficiency.

Despite its 3,825 pound curb weight and single-speed transmission, the Model S can make the sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, crossing the quarter-mile stripe in 14 seconds flat. Give the Model S a longer track and it will top out at 120 mph.

The Model S’ stopping power is just as impressive as its acceleration, thanks to six-piston Brembos up front and four-pot calipers out back. The Model S can haul itself down from 60 in just 135 feet. All-wheel drive will become available down the line, giving the Model S even more sure footedness.

[methodtim]

It's really nice. It resembles a Rapide and has similarities to the Fisker Karma, but, in my humble opinion, looks better than both those cars. A range of 300 miles - wow!

How this thing seats seven is beyond me. Anyone trying to sit in the rear-facing seats looks like they'd have to be really small children.

I can't say that I want one of these and I'm sure it's going to be more expensive than a harem of Eliot Spitzer's hookers, but it's still nice to see Tesla bringing it.

[FStop7]

hawt

i'd bang it

[daheechang]

looks like a jaguar mazda fusion to me. haha which isn't a bad thing in this case. i like it

[Blake]

looks really good!

[BForbes]

GO TEAM USA!

[Garduna]

Not bad at all, the front looks gorgeous

[DougLikesBMW]

Ooh, me likes.

[spacedogg]

Looks nice...but not many people will buy a $50,000 car from a cash-strapped company without any prior mass-production experience.

Any major manufacturer like BMW will slate a bigger budget towards designing the door mirrors of their cars than Tesla can afford on the entire car. And I'd be surprised if that thing will survive extreme weather tests.

I'll wait another 15-20 years for hydrogen technology to become more feasible. In the meantime, I'll look at diesels for my next car.

[FStop7]

Originally Posted by spacedogg

Looks nice...but not many people will buy a $50,000 car from a cash-strapped company without any prior mass-production experience.

that whole 'cash strapped' thing is a lie they perpetrate because they want free government money. there are like 4 or 5 billionaires on the board of tesla, including the google founders.