Tesla Model X Crossover SUV unveiled

The Tesla Model X has been unveiled

The Tesla Model X – the Model S SUV Crossover – was revealed last night in California, with 4WD and the same powertrain as the Model S. Arrives late 2013.

The Tesla Model X is the next installment in Tesla’s plan to change the car industry in to a Silicon Valley fantasy and, just as scheduled, Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Model X at Tesla’s design studio in California last night.

Looking much as expected – a jacked up Model S – the Model X gets a similar powertrain to the Model S, but it has front and rear electric motors that shift power from one to the other to ensure optimal traction at all times.

The eye-catching feature of the Model X are the ‘Falcon’ doors, which work much like traditional Gullwing doors but bend in the middle to make it easier to open them in confined spaces. The Model X will also seat seven ‘Real Adults’, can get to 60mph in 4.4 seconds and has a turning circle similar to a MINI.

As you would expect, claims for the Model X were plentiful. According to Musk the Model X has “…more room than a minivan, more style than an SUV and more performance than a sports car.” As the batteries and motors sit below the Model X, there also appears to be storage in the boot and under the bonnet – which Tesla call the ‘Frunk’ – with the ‘Frunk’ offering as much storage space as the boot in a Q7.

Tesla say the Model X will cost around the same as the Model S and arrive in showrooms by early 2014. And although we have no idea when the Model X will arrive in the UK, Tesla are taking orders from 8pm (UK time) today.

By Cars UK