Tesla boss touts ‘leccy ‘loon, plots UK sales assault

Newswheel staff :: 24 November 2006 :: Filed under Electric, Saloon, Tesla, Europe & UK, US

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Battery exec is next

Tesla’s 250bhp electric sports car doesn’t officially go on sale Stateside until next summer. But the Californian electric vehicle outfit is already prepping a follow up model: A four-door, four-seat saloon using the same basic drivetrain as seen on the Lotus Elise-chassised Roadster…

In an interview with UK rag Autocar, Tesla veep Mike Harrigan revealed the new model would clock in around the same size as a BMW 5 Series. The electric motor and batteries will be located up front with power going to the rear, the latter in traditional luxo barge fashion. “That’ll be out first global car, raking us into the UK, western Europe and possibly Asian markets,” Harrigan verily did spake.

Yes, you heard that right. Tesla has plans to sell cars in Blighty, and perhaps as soon as the end of the decade. Platform-wise, Tesla hopes to half-inch an existing (but as yet unidentified) front-engine, rear-drive architecture from a major motor manufacturer. The new model won’t, in other words, be based on the Elise’s bonded aluminium tub, as per the Roadster.

What’s more, Tesla has ambitious plans for the project. An annual volume of between 10,000 and 20,000 units is mooted. It’s also expected that Tesla will market two variants of the new saloon – an entry level barge using the same drivetrain as the roadster and  yours for around £30k and a pricier £40k model with more batteries and a 300 mile range.

Linkage:
Autocar