The guys over at On Cars recently had a chance to spend some quality time with the Tesla Model S and some of the key people bringing this sweet sedan to fruition. In the first of three videos (the other two haven't been released yet), not only are we treated to some gorgeous shots of the Model S, inside and out, but also have the chance to listen to designer Franz von Holzhausen talk at length about the object of our fastback desire. If you have been paying attention to every detail released about the all-electric so far, there might not be a lot of new material for you here, though interestingly, the Model S does get the year 2011 attached to it. That seems a little soon seeing as a factory hasn't been built or acquired yet, but we digress.

Even if you do happen to know every bit of Model S minutiae, it is nice to hear the passion and excitement Franz has for the project as he talks with ardor about proportion and aerodynamics. You can see why Tesla chief, Elon Musk hired him on in the first place. But enough of our jabbering, hit the jump and check it out for yourself.



[Source: On Cars]

Since it's official unveiling on March 26th, Tesla Motors has reportedly accepted over 1,000 orders for the Model S sedan, a fact that once again proves there are a number of consumers lining up to put electric vehicles in their driveways. Each order requires a refundable deposit of $5,000, meaning Tesla has collected at least $5,000,000 in reservation deposits.

Tesla also claims that the Model S, which is anticipated to carry a base price of $57,400 ($49,900 after a $7,500 tax rebate), will be equivalent to a $30,000 competitor in total cost of ownership if gasoline rises to a stratospheric $5.00 per gallon. We're not sure what mileage assumptions Tesla is using to calculate that figure.

We've repeatedly requested an up-to-date set of order numbers and cancellations for Tesla's other model, the all-electric Roadster, but have yet to receive an answer. In light of this fact and because Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the Roadster is still sold out through November (as it has been for at least the last six months), it seems likely that there have been a sizable number of cancellations for the Roadster. See the full press release after the break.



[Source: Tesla Motors]

If there's one thing that goes incredibly well with expensive prototype vehicles, it's scratches from high heels. You also get this when some waif-y models (or could-be models) snag a drink and everyone's enjoying themselves. The scenes above and in the gallery below are from the Model S party in New York City last night as part of the whole Dave Letterman thing. Our friend and photographer Shannon A. also spotted Who Killed The Electric Car? director Chris Paine hanging around, as well as a Tesla-powered smart fortwo and a Roadster. Remember when the Roadster was the star of the show? Thanks to Shannon A. for the pics.!

A quick follow-up to the post yesterday about Business Insider's Tesla Model S cost guessing game. In case you missed it, BI thinks that Tesla's sub-$50,000 price is pretty much impossible. While some of you found faults in BI's methods and logic, Tesla spokeswoman Rachel Konrad gave AutoblogGreen an official response that digs right to the heart of BI's math. Business Insight did use "a source who'd prefer to be nameless," and Konrad said that:

Wild guesstimates from ostensible experts unwilling to identify themselves have little credibility. Perhaps the biggest flaw in their alleged reasoning is the assumption that Tesla has the same cost structure as an enormous automaker; in fact it's probably the leanest and most efficient in the industry.

[Source: Tesla Motors]

Elon Musk brought out the Tesla Model S for its big New York debut last night and David Letterman got a real "charge" out of it. Musk appeared on the Late Show and it was kind of strange to watch. Letterman had some kind of throat thing going on that left his voice sounding remarkably like Bob Lutz. In spite of that, Dave's trademark style left him showing little sympathy for any automakers when discussing why after more than 100 years no one has really developed the electric car.

Dave didn't spare any kind words for efforts to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology, but he really ripped into the Chevy Volt. Apparently the idea of being able to go a mere 40 miles on a charge is not appealing to the crankiest of all late night hosts and he didn't bother to mention the range extender. Thankfully, most of us don't all have 20-mile driveways to deal with. Check out the video after the jump for as long as it stays live on YouTube. BTW, Elon had nothing new to offer.

UPDATE: GM responds.

[Source: YouTube]

Tesla Motors' charismatic frontman, Elon Musk, will be showing up on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight to dazzle America's TV audience with his gorgeous all-electric sedan. Tesla says that when the Model S goes on sale at an undefined point in the future, the cost for the base model will be just under $50,000 – $49,900 to be exact – after a $7,500 government tax break. Business Insider has a word for that: Horsefeathers.

BI teamed up with Mark Boyadjis, an auto analyst at iSuppli, and they did some math based on actual numbers used in the auto industry and a lot of educated guesses. The result? They didn't exactly find a lot of room for profit if the car sells for $57,400. Their math is based on at least one error – they say the replacement battery for the Roadster is $36,000, but that's a carry-over mistake from Edmunds – it's actually $30,000. Still, that's the equivalent to the base price of an entire "near luxury" sedan – one that conventional automakers have trouble making margins on. That big, sexy touchscreen? Estimated to cost $4,000. Add everything from chassis and body panel costs to in distribution, marketing, further engineering, and lest we forget – building a factory, and Musk's price target starts to look more and more implausible.

BI has a good point here – Tesla needs to be careful with their pricing predictions. The ambitious startup made big financial mistakes when pricing the original Roadster – which didn't make everyone happy – and there's not a lot of room left to goof up a second time.


[Source: Business Insider]

The next stop on Elon Musk's road show to drum up pre-orders (and much needed cash) for the Tesla Model S is Manhattan. Musk is bringing the only "drivable" prototype of Tesla's new sport sedan to the Big Apple for a Wednesday night appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. Like rival Jay Leno, Letterman is a car nut but, for safety reasons, no running car has ever made it to the Late Show stage. In a first, Musk intends to drive the electric wonder car out to show it to the world.

Following the Letterman encounter, the Model S will be on display at the Plaza Hotel in New York on Thursday from 10-4 and again on Friday from noon-9. As usual, Tesla sales reps will be on hand to happily accept checks from anyone wanting to plunk down a few thousand dollars to get on the list to hopefully someday own a Model S.



[Source: Tesla Motors]

Might the corporate logo of the world's best known electric car maker one day grace the roof of the former "Home of the Boeing 717"? Despite sealed lips from officials, rumors abound that Tesla Motors has found a spot in Long Beach to build their all-electric Model "S". It seems 79 acres of prime real estate, formerly part of the Boeing presence in the city, are available and the automaker is in line ahead of movie studios, solar panel manufacturers and others. A deal to sell the site to Long Beach Studios, who were planning on spending $500 million to convert the two cavernous hangers into the world's most advanced digital studio, fell through in March.

The situation isn't exactly clear-cut though and neither Tesla or Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster are talking about it while Boeing only says that no deals have yet been made. Among the people who are talking is Long Beach Studio's Chairman Jack O'Halloran, though his statements don't clear anything completely up. He says they just went back into escrow and are going forward with Boeing and expects filming to begin at the location later this Spring. An anonymous person says of the situation, "[They want] to build electric cars there in a couple years, but in the interim they're still going to be shooting there," We don't know exactly what is going on here but we can say for certain that the movie industry has at least one connection to the electric car maker under its belt.



[Source: The District Weekly]

A week after Tesla began accepting orders for its new Model S electric sedan, the company reported that it had accepted over 500 reservations. Another week has passed, and about 200 more order forms have reportedly been collected for a total of 711 deposits. At this point, we're still not sure how those orders break down between the standard Model S or the range-topping Signature Series, of which 2,000 total units will be made. Buyers looking for a standard-fare Model S need to plunk down a refundable $5,000 deposit to hold their reservations; those intending to drive home a new Signature Series need to put down a whopping (though also refundable) $40,000 deposit.

Tesla plans to launch production of the 7-seat Model S electric sedan in late 2011. Something tells us that demand will remain high for Tesla's latest vehicle – the Silicon Valley automaker claims to have nearly 1,000 customers currently on the waiting list for its first vehicle, the Roadster.


[Source: Carscoop]

Engadget readers and Tekzilla viewers will surely be familiar with the names Ryan Block and Veronica Belmont. The ex-Honcho of the gadget blog with the same corporate overlords as ABG and his companion, the co-host of the tech oriented TZ live in the Bay Area and had the opportunity to swing past the Tesla store in Menlo park this weekend. Since pretty much all work on the Model S (save some powertrain development) has been on hold for the last several months until the company gets another cash infusion, Tesla is taking the first prototype and the styling buck that were shown in Santa Monica a few months ago on a road show to try and drum up sales. Ryan and Veronica checked out the massive touch screen control panel and he, at least, was impressed. No word on Veronica's response although Ryan is considering following in his former boss Jason Calacanis's footsteps and ordering one. Ryan's video tour is after the jump. BTW, yes, it is a slow news day.



[Source: Ryan Block]