The success of S will lead to excellent X

In the past few weeks, several of the biggest players in automotive journalism have crowned a new champion. Tesla Model S changed from a fogger to a winner in 2012, and coincidentally, the world is expected to end this year. It turns out that this is just the beginning of how we view the greatness of cars and the future of style, performance, quality and innovation.

We all know the stats by now, 0-60 in 4.4 seconds for the performance model, a range that can approach 300 miles with the optional long-range battery pack, and the drive in movie sized touch screen. But the car is greater than simple stats or the sum of its parts. The numerous awards in a way legitimizes what was considered a novelty item by some, and will doubtlessly cement many future orders on Tesla’s growing back order list. In some ways the Model S in now considered to be in the past, a milestone achieved on the road to greater things. If the Model S was the equivalent of having John Glenn orbiting the earth, then the upcoming Model X will be like the moon landing.

The Model X will make fully electric vehicles even more mainstream. The Model X is an SUV that will provide the space, comfort, and ride height that so many people love, but get heart palpitations every time gas prices jump by more that 10 cents a gallon. Will people run to their Chevy dealer and turn in their keys to their Suburban? The answer is most likely not for too many reasons to list here. However, Lexus, Infinity, BMW, Porsche, Audi, VW, Volvo, and others should be more than a bit concerned.

The Model X will have optional all wheel drive, sprint from 0-60 in under 5 seconds, have room for seven, handle like a sports car due to its low center of gravity, carry a large amount of cargo, and offer access to the rear seats without yoga like contortions thanks to some awesome gullwing like “falcon” doors. Styling is along the elegant and modern lines of the Model S and you will also get a world-class interior loaded with technology. Let’s see what else? Oh that’s right, I almost forgot, around 90 MPGe.

The cost is expected to be between US$60,000 and US$100,000, which will put pressure on major players in the high-end SUV segment. Delivery will begin in 2014-will that also be the year of Tesla's annual SUV awards? We will soon get the answer to this question; we will also understand whether Tesla can successfully sell and provide services for two complete product lines at the same time. My opinion is that you should not underestimate the talented team of engineers in Iron Man Elon Musk or Tesla. Fast, practical and cool electric cars are now available, and they are winning.