Tesla plans mass-market electric sedan
Tesla Motors plans to produce its mass-market $60,000 electric sedan in the San Francisco Bay Area by the end of 2010.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tesla CEO Ze’ev Drori announced the decision at a press conference at Tesla’s Silicon Valley facility today.
“We are not a mere niche player with a car to the rich and famous,” Drori said. “We are building high-volume zero emission vehicle manufacturing in California for a midsize family sedan in California and we are not going to stop there.”
The sedan is being called the Model S.
Tesla is currently producing an all-electric Roadster that retails for $109,000.
Tesla Chairman Elon Musk also said that the company will be able to deliver an all-electric car that retails for under $30,000 in less than four years.
Darryl Siry, Tesla’s vice president for sales, told Automotive Newsthat Musk was referring to a project Tesla is working on with a partner. Siry said that vehicle would have a range similar to that of Tesla’s Roadster, which can go 220 miles on one charge. Musk said in a televised interview earlier this month that Tesla had a “small” partnership with Daimler AG.
Tesla had been considering locating its assembly plant in New Mexico, but California aggressively courted the company with tax incentives.
“I wasn’t about to let the company that makes the world’s sexiest, and best high performance electric car go to another state,” Schwarzenegger said.
Via: AutoNews - subscription required