CNN: Inside the Tesla Model S

[dpeilow]

Inside the Tesla Model S - Big moves (1) - CNNMoney

 

[GSP]

Glad to see such high praise from the mainstream press. Tesla certainly deserves it. Nice video with Elon as well.

GSP

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

The first cars off Tesla's California assembly line will be high-end Signature Series cars with an advertised 320 mile range on a full charge and a sticker price around $80,000. However, the base Model S will start at about $57,000 and will go about 160 miles on a charge.

Looks like a blend of post-tax-credit and pre-tax-credit prices in the same breath?! Surely, the Sig's not going to be 'just' $80k while the 300-mile non-Sig's $77k all pre-tax-credit?! More fuzzy math from journalists!

And, yeah, more confirmation that having to turn off video on the screen would be required by local law.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

An interesting quote from Elon in the second video - he's personally going to payback the DoE loan if things go south from here! Take that, all you Tesla-equals-Solyndra campers!

Tesla CEO personally guarantees payback - Video - Business News

 

[Mycroft]

I agree, it's nice to see something positive. Of course it's not from any of the gear-head sites. :smile: I think that once they're allowed to drive the RC's next year, they'll change their tune in a hurry - especially if they get their hands on the performance model.

 

[NigelM]

CNN Money: The Tesla Model S battery pack can provide an estimated driving range of between 160 and 320 miles, depending on the price of the car.

And I thought that the estimated driving range depended on the battery capacity.....

Sloppy writing.

 

[AnOutsider]

and a special high-performance version will get there in just 4.5 seconds while offering the same estimated driving range.

So, as some speculated, sport performance won't kill range (unless you use it)

 

[Kipernicus]

I thought this bit about the jump seats was most interesting:

Besides your luggage, there's something else you can fit in the trunk of the Model S: Your kids. Two children can sit there in a pair of folding seats, watching the road roll away behind them. When not needed, the seats tuck into the trunk floor.

These back seats are possibly the safest seats in the Car, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said. And the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety agrees.

"If you're transporting kids, those rear-facing back seats would be the best place to put them," Insurance Institute spokesman Russ Rader said.

Not only are the children facing away from any likely frontal collision, the back end of the car is also reinforced to protect against high-speed rear-end impacts, even from large trucks.

The seats are equipped with racecar-type five-point harnesses, too.

 

[jimbakker666]

Glad to see such high praise from the mainstream press. Tesla certainly deserves it. Nice video with Elon as well.

GSP

Yep, seems like some things are starting to turn positive for Tesla in the press for once. I love it, can't wait until the beginning of next year when a little more marketing starts to kick in.

GSP? From Montreal?

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Speaking of marketing, late next year or in early 2013, I do hope Tesla works with the really creative ad agencies such as the one that helped Apple sell millions of iDevices with some really groovy ads! The Steve Jobs biography talks extensively about the creative process behind all those silhouette iPod ads etc. - a real treat to read and very applicable to cutting-edge products such as the Model S. Like Chris Paine pointed out in "Who Killed the Electric Car?", the last thing we want is those "alien/twilight" ads that GM put out for the EV1.

 

[neroden]

Tesla's stated policy (in annual reports) is not to run ads until they have to. And they sure don't have to when their reservation rate is this high.

gg: I hope the Signature premium is only $3K, that would be sweet. Of course that's the price before options.