AFP, Fremont :
Elon Musk, Tesla’s charismatic CEO, unveiled Tuesday the company’s hotly anticipated sport utility vehicle, the Model X, bringing an electric-powered vehicle to a segment known for its gas guzzlers.
“Any type of car can go electric. We showed you you can do it with a sedan and now we’re going to do it with a SUV,” the 44-year-old South African said at a launch party Tuesday evening at Tesla’s Fremont, California factory.
The Model X, which is hitting the road two years later than initially planned, complements the company’s only other vehicle, the Model S sedan. With a price tag of $130,000 (116,000 euros), the Model X is nearly double the $70,000 cost of the sedan.
The X has a surprisingly rounded and tapered profile for an SUV compared to the more massive frames and rectangular lines of its competitors.
This car is full of gadgets. The wing doors can be opened from a distance, with sensors adjusting the angle to avoid other cars parked close by, and there is a special “biodefense” air filtration button.
“We’re trying to be a leader in the catastrophic defense scenarios,” joked Musk, who also founded Space X, a space exploration company.
Musk, who has a large family, mentioned his twins as he highlighted the SUV’s three rows of seats before an audience of several hundred people.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s charismatic CEO, unveiled Tuesday the company’s hotly anticipated sport utility vehicle, the Model X, bringing an electric-powered vehicle to a segment known for its gas guzzlers.
“Any type of car can go electric. We showed you you can do it with a sedan and now we’re going to do it with a SUV,” the 44-year-old South African said at a launch party Tuesday evening at Tesla’s Fremont, California factory.
The Model X, which is hitting the road two years later than initially planned, complements the company’s only other vehicle, the Model S sedan. With a price tag of $130,000 (116,000 euros), the Model X is nearly double the $70,000 cost of the sedan.
The X has a surprisingly rounded and tapered profile for an SUV compared to the more massive frames and rectangular lines of its competitors.
This car is full of gadgets. The wing doors can be opened from a distance, with sensors adjusting the angle to avoid other cars parked close by, and there is a special “biodefense” air filtration button.
“We’re trying to be a leader in the catastrophic defense scenarios,” joked Musk, who also founded Space X, a space exploration company.
Musk, who has a large family, mentioned his twins as he highlighted the SUV’s three rows of seats before an audience of several hundred people.
