Tesla Model S Unveiled - Fantastic!

It's finally been unveiled.

The claimed numbers are impressive, with a pre-tax credit base price of about $57k and a base range of 160 miles. It also seats 7 (2 kids in the third row), and does 0-60 mph in 5.5 to 6.0 seconds. It features a single speed drivetrain. Guess they gave up on multiple speeds. Total weight is roughly 4,400 lbs including 1,200 lbs or batteries. Plans call for production to commence in late 2011.

The car is beautiful, and has a resemblance to the Fisker Karma as well as certain Aston-Martin designs (some also done by Henrik Fisker). It's not hard to see how the legal dispute arose between Tesla and Fisker. At least it seems they've been able to resolve their differences and get back to focusing on the cars. The Tesla is all electric while the Fisker is a series hybrid.

If it gets into production as intended this will be a landmark automobile.

More info here: http://www.teslamotors.com/models/index.php

Guess it’s getting ugly with allegations and rumors about Tesla and Fisker going to court. According to Automotive News (subscription required), Tesla is suing Fisker for breach of contract. Tesla had hired Fisker to design the interior and exterior of its upcoming WhiteStar electric sedan. The suit accuses Fisker of doing a substandard job in order to stall the development of the WhiteStar while stealing trade secrets, business plans, and engineering data in order to develop their own car. The prototype of that car, the Fisker Karma, was unveiled in Detroit in January.

Someone’s probably going down in flames before this is all said and done. Here’s an article from AutoBlog:

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/tesla-files-suit-against-fisker-automotive/

4/16/08 Update - Then Tesla gets sued by Magna:

http://jalopnik.com/380438/another-twist-tesla-sued-by-magna-powertrain

This is becoming a soap opera. Let’s see more cars please…