Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors has mastered the sporty two-seater and the elegant sedan. Now, it wants to conquer the family hauler. Tesla's Model X — one of the only all-electric SUVs on the market — has been officially unveiled.
CEO Elon Musk says the Model X sets a new bar for automotive engineering, with unique features like rear falcon-wing doors, which open upward, and a driver's door that opens on approach and closes itself when the driver is inside.
The Model X is the third vehicle from 12-year-old Tesla, after the Roadster — which was discontinued in 2012 — and the Model S sedan. It should attract new customers — particularly women — to the brand.
A fully loaded performance model is $142,000; exact pricing of the base model hasn't been released, but Musk said the Model X will cost $5,000 more than an equivalent Model S, or around $93,000.
The Model X shares a platform and motor with the Model S, which is made at the same factory. But unlike the S, which has several battery options, the X only has a 90 kilowatt-hour battery and only comes with all-wheel drive.
The 90D version will go 257 miles on a full charge, while the P90D performance version will go 250 miles. Tesla's high-speed "ludicrous mode" is offered on the P90D; it goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds.
The Model X has three rows and seats seven; on a test ride, the back row could fit an adult and had a surprising amount of headroom.
The Model X is said to be the first electric vehicle with a 5,000 pound towing capacity.
But the most eye-popping feature is the double-hinged falcon-wing doors. They need less than a foot of clearance to open, and they're fitted with sensors so they won't trap hands or hit cars parked next to them.
The doors — and the Tesla-designed second-row seats, which all move independently — were among the reasons the Model X's launch was delayed several times. Musk announced plans for the Model X in 2012; it was initially expected to go on sale in early 2014.
The Model X is alone, for now, in the all-electric luxury SUV market. Its closest competitor is the plug-in hybrid Porsche Cayenne SUV, which starts at $77,200. But others, spurred by Tesla, are planning their own all-electric models. Audi said this month that it will have an all-electric SUV by 2018.
Musk says the company "got a little carried away" and might have designed the Model X differently if it had known the final engineering costs and manufacturing complexity.
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