The prototype of the battery-powered Model X shown here will carry seven occupants and their luggage. Its front and rear electric motors will accelerate the crossover to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, said Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
But perhaps the most unusual trait on the Model X is the second-row "falcon-wing doors" which are a double-hinged version of the famed gull-wing doors on the iconic Mercedes coupe from the 1950s.Their upward sweep is about the same height as a tailgate on most SUVs, Musk said.
The Model X has not undergone computer-aided crash analysis, but Musk said he is confident it will do well, even in a side-impact crash.
Deliveries of the Model X will begin in early 2014, with prototype production beginning next year at Tesla's Fremont, Calif., plant.
The Model X will ride on the same platform as the Model S, and come with a choice of the same 230- and 300-mile battery packs that come with the Model S.
Because the Model X is larger and heavier, the range will be about 10 percent less than the sedan, Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen said.
The Model X will be slightly more expensive than the sedan version, which starts at $67,400 for the 230-mile version, before a federal tax credit.
While there is definitely "a familial feel" between the designs of the two vehicles, von Holzhausen noted that the Model X's door system and cargo carrying features set it apart from other crossovers.
Tesla hopes to sell about 15,000 units of the crossover annually, a sales target that is similar to the sedan.Automobile News
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