In anticipation of the launch of its new Model S electric luxury sedan later this year, Tesla has been busy expanding its retail network to meet supply. “We added six new stores in the U.S. last year, four in the last quarter,” said George Blankenship, VP of sales and ownership experience, speaking during a conference call scheduled to address concerns over the company’s recent executive changes.

It might seem strange to open dealerships without any real cars to sell. After all, Tesla’s first vehicle, the Tesla Roadster, has been discontinued, while the Model S has yet to go into full production. And yet, says Blankenship, the new stores are “working exactly as we had hoped.”

In just the month of December, Tesla saw 299,000 visitors to its stores, helping bring the year-end tally for reservations on the upcoming Model S to 8,000.

Another major contributing factor was the release late in December of pricing for the Model S, with the entry level 40 kWh model starting at $49,900 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. “The strongest week for reservations was week we announced pricing,” said Blankenship, commenting on significant demand for the flagship Signature model despite its $87,900 starting price (before tax credit).

“We’re sold out of Model S Signature in the U.S.” he declared, and then announced that a waiting list is going to be created.

The future will see a continued ramp-up of sales infrastructure for Tesla throughout 2012 with plans to add 10 to 12 new retail stores in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto.

Stock values for the Palo Alto, California based Tesla Motors took a nose dive after the official announcement of two executives would be leaving the company.

A couple of months before Tesla plans to launch its all electric Model S sedan, Ricardo Reyes, a spokesman for the company, announced the departure of two individuals who were involved in the development and design of the car. Peter Rawlinson, Tesla’s vice president and chief engineer, and Nick Sampson, supervisor of vehicle and chassis development are the two executives in question.

This announcement has caught the attention of anyone holding stocks in the company, and the result is a record %19 loss of value of the company’s stocks. Tesla received a $465 million U.S. loan to start production of the Model S in Fremont, California, which must have share holders worrying even more knowing that if the car doesn’t sell, bad times await. Some more dismal numbers from Tesla include a negative -110.95% loss in the net profit margin as well as losses in its operating margin which remained at -109.92%.

The Model S will be on sale later in the year, and the initial offering will carry a $49,900 price tag after rebates and incentives.

[Source: Galaxy Stocks]

The Tesla Model X is something of an enigma, but thanks to some tweets that went out last month it sounds like it will be faster than a Porsche Cayenne and roomier than an Audi Q7.

Once again, thanks to internet chatter we’ve got some more information on this hum-dinger of an SUV. A member on the Tesla Motors Club forum said he read in the Barclays Capital research report that there would be an unveiling on February 9. According to a post by Autoblog earlier today, that date is now confirmed.

So far, Tesla has been leading the EV industry in style and performance, consistently proving that being without an internal combustion engine isn’t the end of the world, though it may be the end of your bank account. Their first release, the Tesla Roadster, is a head turner that makes you feel like Tony Stark. Next they released the Model S, touting it as the worlds first premium electric sedan. The Model X is sure to follow their attention magnet tradition.

[Source: AutoBlog]

After much speculation by the automotive community, Tesla has finally released U.S. pricing on its all new Model S. The Model S will go into production in 2012 and will be undeniably one of the best production all electric cars on the market.

The Tesla will have a base price of $49,900 after federal tax credits. The base model will get you a 40 kWh battery pack that will accelerate 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds and have a range of 160 miles when traveling at an average speed of 55 mph.

There are four packages in total that consumers can choose from: a 40 kWh battery pack, a 60 kWh pack, an 85 kWh pack and also an 85 kWh pack that is coupled with the performance package which includes active air suspension with sport tuned traction control, performance wheels and tires, and standard leather seats and carbon fiber accents.

The 60 kWh has an MSRP of $59,900 and packs a range of 230 miles and a 0-60 mph time of 5.9 seconds. The truly impressive stats come from the 85 kWh battery pack which will get you 300 miles down the road on one charge and will accelerate 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. The 85 kWh without the sport package will retail for $69,900 after federal tax credit. With all the bells and whistles of the sport package included, the top of the line Tesla Model S will sell for $79,900.

GALLERY: Tesla Model S

This may look like a BMW 7-Series sedan with some oddball rims, but our spy photographers report that the vehicle in question is actually a prototype for a new BMW i sedan, based on a couple key points.

For starters, there are apparently electric motors mounted in the wheel hubs, which would suggest a new kind of electric propulsion system previously unseen on a BMW. Furthermore, the front and rear fenders look like they’ve been radically altered to fit the vehicle, which further suggests some alien technology lurking underneath the sheetmetal.

If we had to guess, we’d say that BMW is preparing something to bring the fight to the Tesla Model S and Fisker Karma, but there’s very little information to go on at this time.

GALLERY: BMW i Large Sedan

Telsa Motors is expanding its presence in North Amercia with three new retail locations.

The automaker is opening locations in Bellevue, WA, Chicago, IL, and Newport Beach, CA, in November that will showcase the new Model S, the world’s first electric premium sedan.

The first location in Bellevue opened this past weekend, with the Chicago store opening on November 12 and the Newport Beach store on November 18. All three of these locations already have service stations open for business. These retail stores will also feature hands-on exhibits, interactive touch-screen experiences, and a design center where customers can customize their own Model S.

“Tesla is reinventing the way people buy cars, with stores designed to engage and inform prospective customers,” said Tesla CEO and Co-founder Elon Musk. “Located in high foot-traffic locations, Tesla stores are designed to introduce people to Tesla’s advanced electric car technology and show the benefits of driving electric. Tesla stores lay the groundwork for the distribution of Model S today and increasingly affordable electric vehicles tomorrow.”

Even though the Tesla Model S sedan has been delayed for far too long, with an expected reveal at year’s end before an official unveiling at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

The crossover, dubbed the Model X, will be based on the Model S platform. “The time is right to unveil the car,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Autocar. “I’ve seen the latest design for it and I’m very happy with it.”

Tesla manufacturing head touted the company’s modular platform and innovative manufacturing facility in California as the key to the company’s ability to offer a wide range of products. “We can build many models on the same line,” Passin said. “The Model S is just one ‘top hat’ on a platform that is very modular. All our pressing modules are very adjustable and we’re working on improving that flexibility even further and making it faster at the moment.

[Source: Autocar]

Electric car maker Tesla Motors had previously announced it would offer several different versions of its new Model S luxury sedan with different range capabilities, but now CEO Elon Musk has revealed those different levels will also boast varying levels of performance. Topping the lineup will be a 300 mile range-capable version that will cut almost a second from the standard car’s 0-60 time, with an impressive 4.6 second sprint compared to the 5.5 second run for the rest of the model range.

Two additional trim levels will be offered, one with a 230 mile range and another with a 160 mile range. In addition Tesla also has announced it will offer optional aerodynamic wheels that should add an additional 20 miles of range to the top level model.

Speaking at a showing for a prototype of the car in Silicon Valley, Musk commented that, “It’ll be better than anyone thinks a car like this can be. The goal with the Model S was to build the best car, not just the best electric vehicle.”

The model S will feature a unique battery swapping capability with a battery change time of roughly one minute. Plus, with a special fast-charging system even the 300 mile range model will be able to be recharged and back on the road in just one hour.

So far, over 6,000 people have placed a deposit on the model S, accounting for all of the car’s first year of production.

[Source: AutoCar]

Tesla teases us some more with the Model S electric sedan: this time, they show us three camouflaged examples running around a test track, as proof that yes, it is capable of moving under its own power.

And pretty quickly, too—the Model S is expected to go from 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds, under fully-electric power that allows it up to 300 miles before recharging. It will accomplish this with five adults and the option for two children facing backwards, like some futuristic Vista Cruiser, and will sell for around $57,000 after federal and state incentives. We know what it looks like, which renders the Palo Alto company’s secrecy moot. But alas, we’ll have to wait until next year to actually look at it up close.

Click the jump to watch the short teaser.

[Source: LA Times]

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Tesla is currently negotiating a deal with Toyota that could be worth an easy one billion dollars, according to CEO Elon Musk himself.

Fresh from a conference call (on his G6, presumably), Musk just signed a $100 million deal with the Japanese automaker, but has dropped the hint that they could be thinking larger. “We’re in discussions with them for a deal that is an order of magnitude larger than that,” he said. Musk had spent the call informing Toyota about ending their best quarter in the young company’s history, with demand for the Model S and recently-departed Roadster still high.

Toyota, being the world’s largest car company, fortunately has this sort of cash to burn. Hopefully Musk has made a convincing case for the 8-year old Tesla and the electric car of the future.

[Source: AutoObserver]