Tesla Model S Deliveries to Begin Next Month
Tesla is reportedly just one month away from getting its Model S sedan into customers hands. According to sources, the vehicle only needs to finish its crash tests before deliveries will begin.
That’s the word from MSNBC’s The Bottom Line. Tesla has been living on the edge with just one (niche) vehicle: the Tesla Roadster. By introducing a more family friendly vehicle with the Model S sedan, the silicon valley based automaker is taking a huge leap into uncharted territory.
“Once we complete and document the tests, we will be able to sell our vehicles in the United States,” Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a letter to shareholders.
Pricing of the Model S starts at around $50,000, and can reach up to $100,000 even with a $7,500 federal tax credit. Getting the cars delivered in June would be slightly earlier than Tesla originally anticipated.
The Model S is available with three different battery packs that allow driving ranges of 160, 230, and 300 miles, and a performance model is expected to hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
Tesla expects to deliver 5,000 Model S vehicles by the end of 2012, and reservations have already topped 10,000.
The Tesla Roadster is no longer on sale, which MSNBC points out as a reason why Tesla revenues dropped this year, but the earlier than expected delivery date of the Model S caused Tesla’s outlook to rise by $10 million to between $560 million and $600 million.
Tesla is also providing the technology for a few automakers including Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, but those companies’ EVs aren’t expected to be released before the Model S.
[Source: MSNBC Bottom Line]
Sami has an unquenchable thirst for car knowledge and has been at AutoGuide for the past six years. He has a degree in journalism and media studies from the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto and has won multiple journalism awards from the Automotive Journalist Association of Canada. Sami is also on the jury for the World Car Awards.
More by Sami Haj-Assaad
Comments
Join the conversation