28 Jul 08 14:41
Tesla Roadster
Tesla is developing an affordable electric vehicle to sell in large volumes, chairman Elon Musk has said this week.
This car is planned with a price tag of less than $30,000 and an annual production as high as 200,000 vehicles - a very different business model to Tesla's only model on the market so far, the $100,000, super-quick Roadster, built for Tesla by Lotus.
Musk said this week, defending his company's strategy of launching its high-cost, exclusive models first: 'In the early 20th century, cars were initially something for wealthy people. It took quite some time for the cost to be optimised and become accessible to a broader population. It's the same thing here: we'll see the traditional technology learning curve.'
Tesla has also confirmed that it is working on a saloon code-named Whitestar, set for sale in late 2010 and for production of around 20,000 a year.
