Showing posts with label Tesla Motors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tesla Motors. Show all posts
Friday, July 2, 2010
The 2010 Tesla Roadster 2.5 will debut at the same time in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Newport Beach, California and will bring both design and technology improvements.
The Roadster 2.5 demonstrates that Tesla will give its range of vehicles a family resemblance. The new front fascia with diffusing vents is similar to the svelte Model S sedan, and Tesla says the new rear diffuser also points to the brand’s future design language.
The interior is reinforced with an improved sound-reduction materials and an optional seven-inch nav system. Some of the upgrades will be available to existing Roadster owners as upgrades. In terms of styling, the Roadster features a new front fascia, restyled wheels (available in silver or black) and a modified rear diffuser. Inside, the cabin has improved sound dampening, better seats, and an optional 7-inch navigation system with a back-up camera.
The look and feel of the car has been redesigned too, with new air-intake vents, alloy wheels and comfier seats. It's better suited for warmer climates too, thanks to a new power control system.
Opting for the Roadster Sport unlocks a new wheel design, available in silver or gloss black finishes. Everything in between is more or less identical to the now old Roadster 2.0.
Press Release
Tesla Premiers Roadster 2.5 at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Electric Carmaker Will Perform This Weekend in World-Famous Motoring Festival in the UK.
CHICHESTER, England - Tesla Motors (TSLA) will unveil its next-generation sports car to the public this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Tesla Roadster 2.5 features improvements in design and technology, including a new front fascia, rear diffuser, improved seat comfort, sound dampening and an optional large touch screen navigation system with back-up camera. Improved interior sound reduction techniques, including new front fender liner material, make the cabin even quieter.
The Festival of Speed is the world's largest motoring garden party, a unique weekend that brings together a heady mix of cars, stars and motor sport royalty to create the largest car culture festival worldwide. Held in the immaculate grounds of Goodwood House, this annual hill-climb extravaganza celebrates all things automotive.
Goodwood is one of the most beloved motoring events in the world and a highlight of the English summer so it's only appropriate that this iconic celebration will be the public premiere of the latest Roadster, said Cristiano Carlutti, Tesla's Vice President of European Operations.
Absolutely Extraordinary
Tesla has already become a darling of Britain's beloved Goodwood, which this spring hosted the first official UK motor race that included electric vehicles, a competition sanctioned by the UK Motor Sport Association. One of Britain's most respected motoring correspondents described a recent Roadster stint on a Goodwood hill climb as an 'absolutely extraordinary performance.'
UK companies that purchase a Roadster benefit from a 100 percent Writing Down Allowance, meaning they can deduct the price of the car from their taxable profits. The Roadster is the only sports car that has ever qualified for such a tax incentive in the UK. Roadster drivers park for free and without time limits in various London boroughs, they get four hours of free charging at certain parking sites, and they are exempt from the Showroom Tax.
Tesla launched the new Roadster this week and is delivering to customers now. More than 1,200 current Tesla owners in at least 23 countries have logged over five million electric miles in their Roadsters.
Prospective customers can see the Tesla Roadster 2.5 at Goodwood or at the London showroom at 49-51 Cheval Place in Knightsbridge, near Harrods. Tesla is now delivering this latest version of the car in all Tesla markets in Europe, Asia and North America.
Tesla Unveils Roadster 2.5 at Newest Stores in Europe and North America
New Roadster Demonstrates Tesla's Commitment to Innovation
Palo Alto, CA -- Tesla Motors today announced Roadster 2.5, the latest version of its revolutionary electric sports car. It will debut simultaneously with the opening of Tesla's two new stores in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Newport Beach, California.
The Roadster 2.5 reflects Tesla's commitment to innovation and the company's close feedback loop with its customers. The new Roadster includes improvements in both design and technology, including a new front fascia, rear diffuser, improved seat comfort & internal finishes, sound dampening and a large touch screen navigation system.
"Although development of the Model S is our main focus, this shows that we still care a great deal about improving the Tesla Roadster," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "These improvements are a direct result of customer feedback and come only a year after release of Roadster 2.0, showing an exceptionally rapid pace of innovation. Where feasible, we will also offer existing customers the ability to purchase the upgrades now available in version 2.5."
New features in Roadster 2.5 include:
- A new look, which includes a new front fascia with diffusing vents, and rear diffuser reflecting the future of Tesla design
- Directional forged wheels available in both silver and black
- New seats with improved comfort, larger more supportive bolsters and a new lumbar support system
- Power control hardware that enables spirited driving in exceptionally hot climates
- An optional 7" touchscreen display with back-up camera
- Improved interior sound reduction including new front fender liner material make the cabin even quieter
Tesla will unveil the new Roadster at its two newest stores worldwide in Copenhagen and Newport Beach, CA. Journalists can see the car during media open houses at both stores throughout the day. Customers, prospective customers and other guests will celebrate the opening of the newest stores this evening.
The enhancements in the Roadster 2.5 are the direct result of accumulated customer feedback. Tesla's unique, company-owned retail network allows Tesla's engineers to receive customer feedback directly and iterate rapidly. More than 1,200 current owners in at least 23 countries have logged over five million electric miles.
Roadster 2.5 is currently available for order and soon will be available at Tesla stores worldwide.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Toyota Motor Corporation and Tesla Motors have announced that they intend to cooperate on the production of electric-vehicles, parts and production system and engineering support. Toyota will purchase a $50 million of Tesla’s common stock issued in a private placement to close immediately subsequent to the closing of Tesla’s currently planned IPO.
Toyota will invest $50 million for a private placement of Tesla common stock and the state of California will provide a sales tax abatement to Tesla for capital equipment expenditures to tool up the plant. Musk estimated that the abatement will amount to about $20 million over the next several years.
The NUMMI - New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. - plant located in Fremont, only 17 miles from Tesla's new headquarters, ceased operations on April 1 after producing its last car, a red Toyota Corolla S believed to be destined for a museum in Japan.
The first car to roll of the production line will be Tesla's Model S electric sedan which costs around $57,400. While Tesla will still be late to the game when compared to the LEAF or the Volt, this amps up the company's reputation ten-fold. For a recent study just named Toyota as one of the top three companies consumers would buy an EV from.
Press Release
Tesla Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation Intend to Work Jointly on EV Development, TMC to Invest in Tesla
May 20, 2010 - Palo Alto, California, U.S.A. - Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) today announced that they intend to cooperate on the development of electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support.
The two companies intend to form a team of specialists to further those efforts. TMC has agreed to purchase $50 million of Tesla's common stock issued in a private placement to close immediately subsequent to the closing of Tesla's currently planned initial public offering.
"I sensed the great potential of Tesla's technology and was impressed by its dedication to monozukuri (Toyota's approach to manufacturing)," said TMC President Akio Toyoda. "Through this partnership, by working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility that Tesla has. Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that 'venture business spirit,' and take on the challenges of the future."
"Toyota is a company founded on innovation, quality, and commitment to sustainable mobility. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Toyota would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla," said Tesla CEO and cofounder Elon Musk. "We look forward to learning and benefiting from Toyota's legendary engineering, manufacturing, and production expertise."
TMC has, since its foundation in 1937, operated under the philosophy of "contributing to the society through the manufacture of automobiles," and made cars that satisfy its many customers around the world. TMC introduced the first-generation Prius hybrid vehicle in 1997, and produced approximately 2.5 million hybrids in the twelve years since. Late last year, TMC started lease of Prius Plug-in Hybrids, which can be charged using an external power source such as a household electric outlet. The company also plans to introduce EVs into the market by 2012.
Tesla's goal is to produce increasingly affordable electric cars to mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. Palo Alto, CA-based Tesla has delivered more than 1000 Roadsters to customers in North America, Europe and Asia. Tesla designs and manufactures EVs and EV powertrain components. It is currently the only automaker in the U.S. that builds and sells highway-capable EVs in serial production. The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than most sports cars yet produces no emissions. Tesla service rangers make house calls to service Roadsters.
Tesla Motors Announces Factory in Northern California
Silicon Valley factory will become the home of the Model S sedan
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Tesla Motors has purchased the former NUMMI factory in Fremont, California, where it will build the Model S sedan and future Tesla vehicles. As recently as April of 2010, the NUMMI factory was used by Toyota to produce the Corolla and Tacoma vehicles using the industry-leading Toyota production system. It is one of the largest, most advanced and cleanest automotive production plants in the world.
It is capable of producing half a million vehicles per year or approximately 1 percent of total worldwide car production. The award-winning plant was the birthplace of the vaunted Toyota Production System, a widely copied system that lead to dramatic quality improvements and unprecedented manufacturing flexibility and worker satisfaction.
The Model S is expected to be the first pure electric premium sedan and is designed from the ground up to take full advantage of the electric vehicle architecture. The sedan, which Tesla unveiled in March 2009, has an anticipated base price of $49,900, including a federal tax credit, and is intended to deliver the foremost design and technology in the automotive world. With an optional extended-range battery pack, the Model S will travel over 300 miles per charge.
The factory is located in the city of Fremont near Northern California's Silicon Valley, very near Tesla's Palo Alto headquarters. The location means Tesla can hire best-in-class engineers in Silicon Valley. The short distance also ensures a tight feedback loop between engineering, manufacturing and other divisions within the company.
"The Tesla Factory effectively leverages an ideal combination of hardcore Silicon Valley engineering talent, traditional automotive engineering talent and the proven Toyota production system," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "The new Tesla Factory will give us plenty of room to grow."
Toyota produced its last car there just last month. Tesla began discussions to acquire the site this spring, when it was also evaluating opportunities in Downey and Long Beach. The turnkey nature of the facility with its recent production of top quality vehicles and its considerable room for expansion made it stand out from other sites.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
To be unveiled this week at Geneva Motor Show, unique TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster commemorates Swiss brand's 150th anniversary.
Pioneering luxury Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer and electric carmaker Tesla Motors have teamed up in a worldwide partnership as the iconic Swiss brand celebrates its 150th anniversary.
On display at the Geneva Motor Show starting Tuesday is the 2010 TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster. This one-of-a-kind collector's car includes a unique interior by Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, incorporating TAG Heuer avant-garde design elements and a specially designed center console due to host TAG Heuer's cutting edge concept watch, to be revealed in Basel on March 18.
This car also features a TAG Heuer Meridiist mobile phone as well as a one-fifth second Heuer Limited Edition Stopwatch. This Swiss-made timepiece with mechanical movement pays tribute to the 1860 founding of the company and evoques the mythic revival of the brand's vintage stopwatches.
The car's exterior color scheme is Foucault Field Gray, embodying the innovative spirit of both companies. The design was inspired by the new TAG Heuer concept watch, a technical milestone in mechanical movements, which brings technologically advanced art to life through motion.
The 2010 TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster will remain at the Tesla booth during the public show days, March 4-14 at the Palexpo-Geneva conference center. The car will then be driven to Baselworld, the world's largest watch exhibition, for a special event March 18.
Relentless focus on technological innovation
Since its founding in an artisan's workshop in the Swiss Jura, TAG Heuer has become one of the world's best-known luxury brands -- maker of avant-garde watches, eyewear and premium mobile phones for refined consumers around the globe.
TAG Heuer, a star brand from the luxury group and worldwide leader Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), also has deep roots in the automotive sector. Company founder Edouard Heuer received in 1911 the patent for The Time of Trip, the first car dashboard chronograph, followed in 1933 by the Autavia -- the first dashboard timekeeper for both automobiles and aviation. The benchmark in cutting-edge chronographs and timekeeping technology since 1860, TAG Heuer is the watch brand that can claim the longest and strongest association with motor sports and dream cars. Both watches and chronographs are inspired and driven by motor sports, from Formula One to GT cars.
"TAG Heuer has a rich history and expertise with the world's most prestigious racing teams -- but this is the first ever partnership we've forged with an electric sports car company," said Jean-Christophe Babin, President and CEO of TAG Heuer. "We believe that high-performance drivers are increasingly searching for products that are efficient, socially responsible and stylish. TAG Heuer and Tesla are two of the few companies arleady achieving these ideals today."
Tesla Motors began developing an electric sports car in 2004 and remains the only automaker selling highway-capable electric cars. The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than nearly any other supercar yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius -- the only car that delivers supercar performance guilt-free, with zero tailpipe emissions and a carbon footprint dramatically lower than any comparable sports car.
Based in California's Silicon Valley, Tesla has delivered more than 1,000 cars to consumers in 21 countries. Advertising Age magazine recently named Tesla one of America's "hottest brands." The Tesla Roadster is quickly becoming the must-have car among Hollywood celebrities, European royalty and socially responsible trendsetters worldwide.
"Engineers at both TAG Heuer and Tesla understand intuitively that technology -- whether worn on your wrist or driven on the road -- can help us live better while we tread more lightly on this planet," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The CEOs of TAG Heuer and Tesla, along with celebrity customers of both companies, will launch their next collaboration in style on March 18 at a party during Baselworld 2010. This nine-month project, commemorating TAG Heuer's 150th anniversary, will have worldwide reach and will raise awareness of technological innovation to consumers on three continents.
More Photos
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tesla Motors, producer of the world's only highway-capable EV, is now offering the option of leasing the groundbreaking Roadster and Roadster Sport. Tesla Motors Leasing will allow more people to enjoy the Roadster's uncompromising design, engineering, and service with the benefits that leasing provides.
Tesla Leasing allows customers to take immediate delivery of a new 2010 Roadster or Roadster Sport with a three year, 30,000 mile contract and with monthly payments as low as $1,658 (see below for details). The relative low cost of electricity vs. gasoline and the low maintenance needs of Tesla's electric motor add to the benefits of leasing a Roadster over a conventional car. The cost savings compared to a similar gas powered car could be $131 per month based on an estimated 833 miles driven per month based on EPA fuel economy tests. At the end of the term, customers have the flexibility to purchase their Roadster or pay a fee and walk away.
"We are committed to continuously improving and enhancing the Roadster, offering a leasing option means even more people can drive this exciting and groundbreaking car," said John Walker, Tesla Vice President of Sales.
The Roadster is the only production car that is faster than many sports cars and more energy efficient than any hybrid. It is quickly becoming the choice amongst discerning drivers who demand performance with a clean conscience.
The Roadster has an EPA range of 236 miles per charge, double that of any other commercially released electric vehicle. It can be charged in any conventional 120 or 240V outlet. The Roadster produces zero tailpipe emissions. It does not need regular oil changes or exhaust system repairs. Roadsters have no spark plugs, pistons, hoses, belts or clutches to replace.
Tesla customers also benefit from the Tesla Rangers, Tesla's pioneering mobile service squad. Tesla Rangers make house calls for annual inspections, firmware upgrades and other services, so customers can enjoy hassle-free service from their home or office. U.S. customers pay $1 per roundtrip mile from the closest service center, with a minimum charge of $100.
Lease financing is available on Tesla Roadster vehicles. Monthly lease payments of $1,658 (excludes sales or use tax) for 36 months based on MSRP of $111,005 (includes destination and documentation fees). $12,453 due at signing includes $1,658 first month's payment, $9,900 down payment, and $895 acquisition fee. No security deposit required. Excludes tax, title, license, registration, and any locally applied fees. This lease offer is subject to credit approval and is for well qualified customers only. Not all customers will qualify for this lease program. Lessee must cover insurance. At lease end, lessee will be liable for disposition fee ($350.00), any excess wear and use as set forth in the lease agreement and excess mileage charges of $0.25 per mile for miles driven in excess of 30,000 miles over the life of the lease. Lessee acquires no ownership interest unless purchase option is exercised. Visit a local Tesla showroom or contact Tesla Motors directly for details and vehicle availability. For more information call 650-413-6300. All figures presented are estimates only. Actual selling price may vary.
More details on Tesla Motors Leasing can be found at: www.teslamotors.com/leasing
About Tesla
Tesla's goal is to produce increasingly affordable cars to mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla sells cars online and has delivered nearly 1000 Roadsters to customers in North America and Europe. Tesla has showrooms in California's Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Boulder, South Florida, Chicago, London, Munich and Monaco. The Tesla Roadster is faster than many sports cars yet more efficient than a hybrid.
Source: Tesla Motors;More Photos
Monday, February 15, 2010
Istituto Europeo di Design of Turin, IED, in collaboration with Tesla, will premiere the Tesla IED EYE concept at this year's Geneva Motor Show. The full scale Tesla IED EYE concept aims to be a 2 + 2 everyday sports car and a status-symbol. The target customer of the Tesla IED EYE concept is a young, cosmopolitan individual that wants a car with an accessible price tag.
The Italian-based European Design Institute (IED) is to be credited with most of the work put into this Concept Eye, with some consulting and a badge supplied by Tesla.
The Eye was designed by a group of students to be an every-day electric vehicle and will be attending the 2010 Geneva Auto Show as a full-scale model. It measures 4.3 meter in length, 1.8 meters in height and 1.4 meters in width.
The IED stand in Geneva will host a concept called Pygmy, based on the Fiat Panda 4×4 and inspired by the agreement between the Italians and the Chrysler Group, and also a sports prototype named Libido, which executes in a futuristic way the excellence and sportsmanship values of Aston Martin.
via:autoevolution
Saturday, January 30, 2010
As everyone's aware, the current iteration of the Tesla Roadster is built in Hethel, England by Lotus using Elise/Exige underpinnings. Judging by the quote above, that means the Elise/Exige is due to be replaced by a new model (good news for enthusiasts), but that leaves Tesla up a creek without the proverbial paddle.
The Model S is due to come out in 2012, which means Tesla might not have any revenue coming in until the all-electric sedan goes on sale. If there's a snag with anything in the launch of the sedan – design, production, engineering, you name it – then Tesla's in serious trouble. That might make investors wary when the upstart automaker finally begins offering shares.
So, bottom line: If you want the current Roadster, order now, or wait until the all-new Roadster goes on sale in 2013.
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