Model S Leak! Tesla Model S Pics Surface Before Today's Debut

[modena_360stradale]

Leak! Tesla Model S Pics Surface on Web Ahead of Today's Debut
by John Neff on Mar 26th 2009 at 12:59PM

Tesla has a big media event planned today at 12PM PST to unveil the new Model S sedan. That plan has been blown out of the water a bit thanks to social media mogul Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg.com, who has uploaded what appear to be a few official images of the all-electric sedan on his Flickr page. We get two views of the car's backside, which looks to crib design cues from modern day Jaguars and Aston Martins. The new XF comes most readily to mind, and while the Model S may be charged with being too heavily influenced by the leaping cat brand, that doesn't take away from the fact that it still looks stunning.

We also have a view of what appears to be an incomplete interior of the Model S, and the most striking element is a center stack comprised entirely of a screen. While we have no details on the car yet, it appears the Model S may feature configurable controls for most of the car's systems (HVAC, audio, etc.) on this large, touch-sensitive display.

Tesla has already revealed that the anticipated base price of the Model S will be $57,400, but will drop to below $50,000 with a federal tax credit of $7,500. We'll be at the unveiling later today and bring back live pictures of the Model S.

Photos:

Source: Leak! Tesla Model S pics surface on web ahead of today's debut

 

[ree]

Looks great in my opinion! Interior will be interesting too.

 

[Centurion]

What are the dimensions for that sea lion, must be based on the XF just how the Roadster is based on the Lotus.

 

[Merc1]

If it isn't Jaguar based, I'd surely be looking into a lawsuit if I were Jaguar.

M

 

[modena_360stradale]

Looks great in my opinion! Interior will be interesting too.

It looks much better than I ever thought it would. Kudos to Tesla. Much better than the Roadster.

 

[coolraoul]

it reaally screams XF. Looks nice and quite clean though.

Interior's interesting, looks Windows based... Welcome the bugs in your cars?

Stunning that it's all-electric at this price. Stunning. Let's see how it performs in terms of autonomy, charging-time and overall performances, but it's a great achievment.

 

[Tarek]

I hope it performs much better than the roadster

 

[vabboud]

if anything i am getting renault vibes from the car itslef,not XF

 

[Merc1]

Some live pics are starting to come in.........










http://www.leftlanenews.com/tesla-model-s.html



M

 

[PanterroR]

C/P Maserati's front.

 

[jack]

i really like this view
its a beautiful american car - there have been hardly any US cars which you could describe that way in the recent years (excluding sport cars)

 

[Centurion]

Don't forget that it's a concept, and with the current instabilities in the economy I don't think it will reach the stage of production in the next 12-18 months.

 

[Giannis]

Actually it's much better looking than the XF

 

[NarutoRamen]

I definitely agree with th e folks who say it looks like the XF...I'll go as far as to say that the rear lights look very similar to the current IS.

 

[modena_360stradale]

Tesla Model S: $50,000 EV Sedan Seats Seven, 300-mile range, 0-60 in 5.5s
by Jonathon Ramsey on Mar 26th 2009 at 5:15PM

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.

UPDATE: We have just listened to the panjandrum Elon Musk and the car's designer speak about the new Tesla S sedan, and these are the things to know about the first mass-produced highway-capable electric car: production will ramp up to 20,000 units annually by the end of the first year of production; after the $7,500 tax break, the Model S will start at just under $50,000 – $49,900 to be exact; and 440-volt charging will be available. That base price is for the 160-mile range pack; a 230-mile range pack and a 300-mile range pack will also be available.

UPDATE: We've added official pictures from Tesla, including this one of the Roadster and the Model S next to each other, to the second gallery below.


Gallery: Tesla Model S: LIVE REVEAL



Gallery: Tesla Model S





PRESS RELEASE

At a Glance: Production Model S

With a 300-mile range and 45-minute QuickCharge, the $49,900 Model S can carry five adults and two children in quiet comfort – and you can charge it from any outlet, without ever stopping for gas. World's first mass-produced electric vehicle offers performance, efficiency and unrivaled utility with twice the energy-efficiency of hybrids, making Model S the only car you'll ever need.


Convenience and utility bullet points:

• Up to 300-mile range
• 45-minute QuickCharge
• 5-minute battery swap
• Charges from 110V, 220V or 440V
• Seating for 5 adults + 2 child seats
• Unique hatch for oversized items
• 60/40 flat-folding rear seat
• 2nd trunk under hood
• EPA Roominess Index 121.6
• More room than station wagons
• 17-inch infotainment touchscreen
• 3G wireless connectivity

Model S powertrain includes a liquid-cooled 9-inch motor, floor-mounted battery pack and a single-speed gearbox, delivering effortless acceleration, responsive handling and quiet simplicity -- no fancy clutchwork or gear-shifting required. Model S costs as little as $4 to fully charge – a bargain even if gasoline dropped to $1 per gallon. You can have affordable fun while being socially responsible.


Technical specs:

• 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds
• ¼ mile in 14 seconds
• 120 mph top speed
• Braking 60-0 mph 135 feet
• 42 kWh battery storage system standard
• 70 kWh and greater battery storage systems optional
• 9- inch liquid cooled electric motor
• Single-speed transaxle gearbox
• Curb Weight 3825 lbs
• Overall Length 196"
• Wheelbase 116.5"
• All-wheel-drive available (option available in future production models)
• Right hand drive available

Source: Tesla Model S: $50,000 EV sedan seats seven, 300-mile range, 0-60 in 5.5s

 

[m-power]

A giant leap forward for the automotive industry.

This is a no compromise green car -
Has the looks, performance, enough room, decent range and usability.
If it handled well, was well built and luxurious enough, it would steal buyers from BMW Mercedes and Audi's showrooms.

 

[martinbo]

I'm very, very impressed.

I hope this pans out to what we want / expect it to be!

GCFers... is this the end of the world as we know it? At long last?

 

[LaArtist]

Mix of jag and fisker.. with lorinser/SLR rimms..

said that it still looks good

 

[Centurion]

I'm very, very impressed.

I hope this pans out to what we want / expect it to be!

GCFers... is this the end of the world as we know it? At long last?

Our dependency on oil will definitely come to an end in 2 decades or so and first blood goes to Tesla. But the party doesn't start until the fat lady arrives and therefore this technology will not take off until one of the big players like VAG, MB or Toyota join in. Hybrid is at the moment the main focus for the big manufacturers who have just started to implement the technology into their cars. What Tesla are offering is very early adopters technology which is incredibly risky to take by a player like Mercedes that cannot afford someone of negative press that we've read on the Tesla. If you guys thought the development testing for the Panamera was long then you'd be surprised how long the development would be for a car of this kind if developed by VAG or MB. At least 4-6 years of road testing would be necessary to ensure that the technology is reliable and dependable throughout a car's economic life time.

 

[Germaniac]

Looks fantastic. It doesn't occur regularly, but I'm a bit concerned that I'd never be able to drive further than the stated range: say, I would never be able to drive from Melbourne to Sydney, or Sydney to Brisbane in it. (Would this necessitate always owning two cars?)

Very promising though.