Tesla has a significant presence at the Detroit Auto Show and shared its section of the show floor with such revered brands as Audi and Lotus. Displaying three models, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company’s latest project, the Model S, is expected to be on sale in two years.

This fully-electric luxury sedan has a range of up to 300 miles and can hit 60 mph in just over 6 seconds. With room for five adults and two children, Tesla has previously announced that it hopes to sell the Model S for a retail price of 49,900 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. Both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive versions are planned.

In addition to the Model S news, Tesla displayed a Roadster model (the company’s original car), that recently drove across America.

Finally, an additional Roadster model is the brand’s 1,000th vehicle produced. Musk announced that the car will be auctioned-off with the proceeds going to help several environmental groups.

GALLERY: Tesla Model S

Daimler AG has announced that the second generation Smart fortwo electric drive will go into series production starting in 2012. The announcement was made during the visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the facility where the electric Smart cars will be built in Hambach, France.

A small number of vehicles will begin production in November of this year as Daimler continues to test the product durability and battery capability. Using a more compact lithium-ion battery pack sourced from U.S. electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc., the second generation of the Smart fortwo electric drive doesn’t compromise space and has adequate room for two adults. Power is rated at 30 kW (40-hp) and 120 Nm (89 ft-lbs) of torque, with a range of 135 km (84 miles). The initial vehicles will begin testing this year in cities across Europe and the U.S.

Smart claims the cars can hit 60 km/h in 6.5 seconds (the same as the gasoline models) and are speed-limited to 100 km/h (60 mph).

GALLERY: Smart fortwo Electric Drive

Official release after the jump:

California-based Tesla Motors has just released a new selection of dynamic photos of its upcoming Model S electric luxury sedan.

With a range of 300 miles on pure electric power and a 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds, the new Model S will provide a more functional alternative to the original Tesla Roadster which only has two seats. In fact, the Model S will hold five adults as well as two children in rear facing seats.

The interior will be luxurious with a 17-inch touch-screen display to control most of the car’s interior convenience features.

A rear-drive and an all-wheel drive version will be offered with a starting price of $57,400, which is reduced to just $49,900 after a $7,5000 federal tax credit.

The Model S is scheduled to go into production in the third quarter of 2011 as a 2012 model.

GALLERY: Tesla Model S

For many months now Mercedes has been teasing us with photos and details of its upcoming SLS supercar and now the German automaker has added a surprise twist. A while back it was made known that the SLS would come with a 6.2-liter V8 with 571 hp and 479 ft-lbs of torque. Now Volker Mornhinweg, the head of Mercedes’ high-performance AMG division, says another powerplant will also be available – an electric one.

Called the SLS eDrive, this green version of the SLS will make use of lithium-ion battery packs, powering an electric motor that will make 392 kW (or 526hp) and 649 ft-lbs of torque. The SLS eDrive will offer serious performance with a 0-60 mph time of under four seconds and a top speed of 120 mph – all with zero emissions. Range is expected to be between 93 and 112 miles.

The lithium-ion battery packs will be situated low in the car, where the gasoline-powered model’s torque-tube is located. The space where the gas tank would be will also be used.

While Mercedes recently began a partnership with U.S. electric sportscar maker Tesla, Mornhinweg says this project is independent of that and they are working with German battery-experts Evonik.

Outside the SLS eDrive will look identical to the gasoline powered model, but inside there will be some slight differences with special controls and gauges.

Suspension changes up front will have to be made, however, as the current front double-wishbone suspension doesn’t leave room for the electric motors that will power the front wheels. Don’t worry though, this isn’t a front-drive car, but rather an all-wheel drive model, as electric motors will also be located in the rear.

The SLS eDrive is still a long way off from production, especially as the standard gasoline-powered SLS won’t make it to market until late 2010 as a 2011 model. It is tentatively scheduled as a 2015 model.

[Source: Autoweek]

Daimler has just announced that it has reached an agreement with Tesla Motors Inc., that will see the German automaker gain a 10 percent stake in the California-based electric car maker.

Along with an undisclosed amount of money the agreement will help forge a partnership between the two companies as they work to bring electric vehicles to market in increasingly high numbers.

Tesla has already been working with Daimler to equip 1,000 SMART fortwo models with lithium-ion batteries for use in special test projects in Berlin and Italy. Daimler also plans to introduce an electric Mercedes vehicle by 2010.

As for Tesla, it will gain the engineering, production and supply chain expertise available at Daimler in order to move the upcoming Tesla Model S into production by 2011.

“Our strategic partnership is an important step to accelerate the commercialization of electric drives globally,” said Dr. Thomas Weber, the board member at Daimler responsible for research and development. “As a young and dynamic company, Tesla stands for visionary power and pioneering spirit. Together with Daimler’s 120 years of experience in the automotive sector this collaboration is a unique combination of two companies’ strengths. This mark another important milestone in Daimler’s strategy for sustainable mobility.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was equally as enthusiastic about the future partnership saying Daimler is on the “leading edge of sustainable mobility.”

“Daimler has set the benchmark for engineering excellence and vehicle quality for more than a century,” said Musk. “It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Daimler would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla.”

Official release after the jump:

Yesterday California-based Tesla Motors unveiled it’s latest creation, a fully-electric luxury sedan with a range of 300 miles and a 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds.

Yup… the future is here! Well, almost.

Tesla’s first creation, the Tesla Roadster was wickedly fast (and fun) but not very practical with just two seats. This latest vehicle, however, seats five adults and two children in rear-facing seats in the rear-hatch area.

The asking price is a reasonable $57,400, which is reduced to 49,900 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.

As for the motor, it s a 9-inch liquid cooled unit with a 42 kWh battery storage system that is built in to the floor of the car. While Tesla does claim a 300 mile range, the base model comes with a 160-mile range, which can be upgraded to either the 300 or a mid-range 230-mile range. Tesla did suggest that owners would be able to lease additional battery packs for prolonged trips.

Total charge time is 45 minutes and Tesla claims the cost of the electricity for one full charge would be roughly $4.

Inside the car is certainly luxurious and features a 17-inch touch screen display to control many of the features inside the car and it also is fully 3G compatible.

In terms of performance, we already quoted the 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds. The car’s quarter mile time is rated at 14 seconds and the Model S will have a top speed of 120 mph.

Power makes it to the ground through a single-speed transmission that is situated in the rear of the car (technically known as a transaxle). The Model S will be offered as both a rear-drive version and with all-wheel drive.

Braking is also quite good with a 135 foot stopping distance from 60 mph thanks to a massive set of Brembo brakes, with 6-piston front calipers and 16-inch rotors up front and 4-piston rear calipers with 15-inch rotors.

The stopping distance is also quite good due to a relatively low curb weight (for a luxury car) of 3,825 lbs.

Those big brake sit inside a big set of 21-inch wheels that come with front 245/35/21 tires and rear 285.30/21 tires. The wheels maintain the luxury design of the Model S – which looks alarming like a Jaguar XF.

As for the vehicle’s dimensions, it is 196-inches with a wheelbase of 116.5-inches – which is very close in size to the previous generation BMW 7 Series.

As mentioned above the future of the electric car isn’t quite here yet, the Tesla Model S won’t go into production until the third-quarter of 2011.

For more information visit:

http://www.teslamotors.com/

[Source: New York Times]

GALLERY: Tesla Model S

More on the Tesla Model S after the jump:

Ahead of Tesla’s media event and press conference, set to be held today at noon Pacific Time, three images of the electric car company’s latest project have leaked onto the interwebs.

Two of the three photos depict a vehicle that looks alarmingly similar to Jaguar’s XF sedan – a car on which it might just be based. Remember, the Tesla Roadster is essentially a Lotus Elise underneath. We might even go so far as to say the Tesla model looks better than the Jag – especially with that stunning panoramic glass roof.

Oh… and those wheels are VERY SLR.

The third photo is of the incomplete interior of the car, with hi-tech looking gauges and what appears to be a large LCD screen for HVAC and Audio controls.

The new Model S from Tesla will be priced from $57,400 and be available for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

There is no word on what the specific powerpant will be in the Model S but we’ll be sure to bring you more details later today.

GALLERY: Tesla Model S