On Thursday, Elon Musk finally unveiled his latest much-hyped model D at a big Tesla Motors event in Los Angeles. Is the new model any better than the standard Tesla Model S and deserve all the hype? Well, from the outside it might appear identical to the Model S. On every other count, it’s a vastly improved version of the Model S electric sedan that packs in two electric motors that makes it the most powerful Tesla ever. In fact, the all-wheel drive Tesla P85D matches the 3.2 second 0 to 60 mph time of the McLaren F1 and will max out at 155 mph instead of 130. “This car is nuts. It’s like taking off from a carrier deck. It’s just bananas,” said CEO Elon Musk, who unveiled the D at a crowded event, next door to the headquarters of the other company he helms, Space X.
According to Musk, the system is a “huge improvement” that actually adds efficiency over a single motor — about 10 miles in range per charge. That’s not all; for those who have settled with the standard Model S, the cars now being produced are stuffed with high-tech safety technologies that will allow the car to automatically avoid danger and even have an autopilot-like function. There will be three configurations available: the 60D and the 85D, along with a top of the line P85D. The P85D starts going out to buyers in December, with the 60D and lower-end 85D going out in February. Tesla says the base price of the P85D is $120,170, a $14,600 premium as part of an options package from the standard P85 model.
[Via – Tesla]
