Lewis Shaw
If Tesla adheres to its original plan, it won’t be long before the California-based electric carmaker expands its range to include two more vehicles, the Model X crossover, estimated to arrive before the end of this year, and the Model E, a compact car rumored to be introduced at the 2015 Detroit auto show.
In regards to the Model E, during a recent Q&A session at the California Public Utilities Commission, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the company is aiming to produce a car around 20 percent smaller than the Model S “at probably half the cost”, starting from $35,000, and with a battery range of about 200 miles (320 kilometers).
If you take Musk’s numbers for granted, this means the Model E would measure around 4 meters in length or similar to a Ford Fiesta hatch (4,067 mm or 160.1 in), which doesn’t sound right if we’re talking about a compact executive sedan, as most reports have indicated.
A couple of explanations that we feel are reasonable is that Musk either made a mistake with the percentage or Tesla is indeed working on a smaller vehicle than we originally thought.
Until we clarify the statement, we’ve shared two renderings of the Model E in a compact premium sedan style with a Maserati Ghibli-inspired glasshouse, courtesy of RM Design.
By John Halas
Renderings: RM Design
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