Yesterday, Tesla announced a marketing push for Europe, which began with a week-long press preview staged in Munich, Germany. The Model S electric sedan can now officially claim to be “Autobahn tested,” and European customers with reservations in place can expect to see deliveries begin in 2013.
Elon Musk, Tesla Motors CEO, said of the push, “Our goal has always been to build the best car in the world and set new standards for safety, range, design and performance. We have achieved this with Model S in North America and now it's time to introduce the extraordinary Model S driving experience to Europe.”
Tesla’s first car, the electric-powered, Lotus Elise-based Roadster, saw limited distribution in Europe, so the brand isn’t exactly unknown there. The Model S, however, is designed to appeal to a larger demographic, while still serving up the type of enthusiastic performance that the Roadster delivered.
Depending upon configuration, the Model S sedan can sprint from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds, while delivering a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) when equipped with the 85 kWh battery pack. Its stiff chassis and near 50/50 weight distribution deliver the kind of handling that rapidly earns admiration from drivers.
With 13,000 reservations in place worldwide, the Model S may well prove to be the first truly successful battery-electric sedan on the market, and will likely give Tesla the ability to increase its economy of scale. When price and range cease to be objections, the argument for electric cars gets easier to present.
