Tesla Releases Full Pricing Details on 2012 Model S, Starts from $49,900 After Tax Credit

Even though first deliveries won't begin until fall of 2012, Tesla has dropped final U.S. pricing and options on its most ambitious project to date, the new 2012 Model S electric sports saloon.
The BMW 5-Series-sized sedan is available for order in two trim levels, basic and Performance.
The basic version is offered with a choice of three battery options with 40 kWh, 60 kWh and 85 kWh, priced at $57,400, $67,400 and $77,400 respectively or $49,900, $59,900 and $69,900 respectively after a $7,500 federal tax credit.
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Tesla CEO Confirms Plans to Launch All-New Roadster in 2014

The Model S saloon that was previewed earlier this month in Beta form, the upcoming performance version of the same model as well as the RAV-4 EV that it will be produced in cooperation with Toyota, are not the only plans Tesla CEO Elon Musk has in mind for the Silicon Valley-based brand.

The company is also working on an EV crossover based on the Model S while Musk recently told Autocar magazine that Telsa is also planning to launch a BMW 3-Series rival and an all-new Roadster in 2014.

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Video: Tesla Model S' Humongous 17-inch Infotainment Screen

Lexus may like to swagger about the new 2013 GS sedan's available 12.3-inch touchscreen, but when it comes to ultimate bragging rights, Tesla is king with the Model S' truly gigantic 17-inch multitouch display.

The crew over at Autoblog.com shot a video of the upcoming Model S during the presentation of the car earlier this month with a Tesla spokesperson highlighting its attributes.

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Video: Tesla CEO Presents Beta Version of Model S, Announces Performance Edition

Last Saturday Tesla opened up its NUMI factory to 3,000 guests and revealed both the production line and, more importantly, the Model S Beta. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, drove on stage in a Beta Model S with passengers occupying all seats, including the rear facing seats.

Musk presented the car’s features, such as the 17-inch touch screen and the voice command audio system to the large audience. He also said that this Beta version is very close to the actual production car in terms of fit, finish and performance. Then the company’s customers went on to get their first real taste of their future car driving it on a slalom course.

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Video: Tesla Model S and Roadster Silently Race Each Other on Desert Road

It’s not the first time we've shown you the Model S, Tesla’s 5-passenger-plus-2-children electric 5-Series rival on video, even though deliveries aren’t expected to begin before 2012. And the Roadster has gotten its fair share of coverage too.

But seeing the two Tesla models silently drive side by side down an empty desert road is a good enough excuse to show the two EV sports cars again – especially the gorgeous Model S.

You can watch the video after the jump, but please don’t complain about the music: in this case it’s entirely appropriate since you wouldn’t hear anything anyway.

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Tesla Losses Soar to $154.3 million in 2010, Despite Gains in Revenue

Tesla Motors has just released a preliminary, unaudited financial report concerning the year than ended on Dec. 31, 2010. The company reported losses of US$51.4 million in Q4 2010 and US$154.3 million for 2010, which was almost triple the US$55.74 million loss for the year ending Dec. 31, 2009.

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Tesla Model S Road Testing Underway [with Video]

It has been a long journey, but it looks like the Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan is one step closer to series production as the California-based automaker announced it is moving on to the final road tests. The first phase called Alpha, which began in 2010, includes both computer simulations and test-drives of prototype vehicles. There will be a Beta phase as well.

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Tesla Partners Up with Toyota to Develop EVs, Acquires NUMMI Plant

Tesla recently finalized its purchase of the advanced (and apparently extremely clean) NUMMI production facility in order to build its upcoming Model S sedan. Tesla hopes to build as many as 20,000 units per year in the southern California facility that's capable of building one million units annually.

Other than some potential spin-offs using the Model S platform (like an electric GT), there's a lot of capacity. That's where Toyota steps in. Toyota and Tesla will be working together to develop electric vehicles. their parts, and the engineering behind them.

The new facility will hire up to 1,000 new employees initially from one of the brightest pools around: Silicon Valley.

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Tesla Accepts More Than 700 Pre-Orders for Model-S in Two Weeks

In spite of the fact that the first examples of the Model S won't roll off the company's production line in California before late 2011, Tesla Motors has received 711 orders for its all-electric sports sedan in the two weeks that followed the unveiling of the car. The estimated base price of the Model S is $49,900 after a US federal tax credit of $7,500, with customers required to pay a $2,000 refundable deposit. There's also a Signature Edition that will be produced in 2,000 units which requires a hefty $40,000 reserve fee which is also refundable.

The Model S that can accommodate up to seven passengers -five adults and two children at the rear cargo area- features an electric drivetrain launching the sports sedan from zero to 60mph (96km/h) in 5.6 seconds and on to a an electronically limited top speed of 120 mph (209 km/h).

The sports sedan come with three available battery pack choices that offer a range of 160, 230, or 300 miles (257, 370 or 482 kilometers) per charge. The lithium-ion batteries can be recharged from any 120V, 208V or 240V outlet or quick-charged from an external direct current supply in 45 minutes.

Tesla Model S Sports Sedan: First Live Videos on the Road

These are the first videos with driving footage of Tesla's all-electric Model S sports saloon that was introduced last week to the members of the press more than two years ahead of its scheduled U.S. and European market debut in late 2011. From the looks of it, the Model S was filmed making a few rounds on the road before and after the official presentation in Hawthorne, California, with the company's CEO Elon Musk behind the steering wheel. Hit the jump to watch the videos.

Tesla Model S Electric Sport Sedan: High-Res Gallery and Official Details

The wraps finally came off Tesla's all-new, plug-in electric sports sedan, the Model S, on Thursday in Los Angeles. Concisely, the Model S can seat up to seven passengers (we'll explain this below), sprint from zero to 60mph or 96km/h in just 5.6 seconds and go up to 300 miles or 480km on a single charge. First deliveries in North America and Europe will begin in late 2011 with the U.S. model featuring a base price of $57,400 or $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500.

Now onto a more detailed view on the Model S. The photos reveal that Tesla's designers were heavily influenced by European cars and in particular the Jaguar XF when it came to the notchback's buttocks and profile and to a less extent, the Maserati GranTurismo for the car's front-end styling. Similarities aside, the Model S looks the part and we reckon that its design will be one of its strong points.

So what's with the seven seats, we hear you ask? Well, Tesla claims that the Model S which has an overall length of 196-inches (4,978mm) or somewhere between a BMW 5 and 7-Series, offers seating for five adults plus two rear-facing and foldable seats for children in the rear cargo area. Even in this configuration, the Model S can still carry some of your luggage as it has a second trunk under the hood.

Tesla's second model after the Roadster comes equipped with an electric drivetrain that includes an electric motor, a floor-mounted lithium-ion battery pack and a single-speed gearbox, launching the BMW 5-Series-sized sports sedan from naught to 60mph (96km/h) in 5.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 130 mph or 209 km/h. In the near future, Tesla aims to enrich the Model S' range with Sport and AWD versions.

The Model S will be available with three different battery pack options capable of offering a range of up to 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge. Tesla said that the battery pack can be quick-charged in 45 minutes at a cost of about $4 - or so the California-based company claims.

2011 Tesla Model S All-Electric Sports Sedan Photos Leaked!

The first official photographs of Tesla's highly anticipated Model S have been prematurely leaked into the internet ahead of the all-electric sports sedan's official debut which is scheduled for this afternoon in Los Angeles. And yes, the first thing that came up to our mind is that the Model S's rear-end and profile bear a 'chilling resemblance to the new Jaguar XF.

Tesla's new proposal is set to arrive on the market in late 2011 with an anticipated base price of $57,400 or $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. We'll have more info and photos of the Model S latter on in the day.

Via: Jalopnik

Tesla Model S All-Electric Sports Sedan to Start from $57,400

In its latest newsletter, Tesla officially confirmed that its forthcoming Model S which will be revealed in prototype form on March 26, 2009, will have an anticipated base price of $57,400 (€43,700 with today's exchange rates) or $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500, when it goes on sale in late 2011. This means that the Model S will not only cost half the price of the Tesla Roadster that begins from $109,000, but also that it will be priced significantly lower than Henry Fisker's plug-in hybrid Karma sedan that starts from $87,900.

"Because of tax incentives and relatively inexpensive maintenance and refueling, the lifetime ownership cost will be closer to cars with far lower sticker prices," the company stated.

Tesla aims to roughly split initial sales of its all-electric four-door sports sedan in North America and Europe, with Asian markets following shortly after.