Tesla unveils first all-electric SUV Model X

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tesla's Model X — one of the only all-electric SUVs on the market — was officially unveiled Tuesday, September 29's night at the company's California factory, the Associated Press reports.

The Model X is the third vehicle from 12-year-old Tesla, after the Roadster — which was discontinued in 2012 — and the Model S sedan. It should attract new customers to the brand, and goes on sale as the market for luxury SUVs is booming.

U.S. luxury SUV sales were up 17 percent through August, five times faster than the industry as a whole.

"If Tesla's going to be a more significant player, they need more products, and SUVs are what the market is demanding," said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with the car buying site AutoTrader.com.

Long road trips will have to be planned carefully because the Model X will have a limited range before the battery needs to be recharged. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the front-wheel-drive 90D version of the Model X will go 257 miles on a charge, while an all-wheel-drive P90D version will go 250 miles. That is less range than the equivalent versions of the Model S.

Few details were released ahead of Tuesday's unveiling, but the Model X has three rows and seats seven. Its most eye-popping feature is its falcon-wing rear doors, which open upward.

The Model X is alone, for now, in the all-electric luxury SUV market. Its closest competitor is the plug-in hybrid Porsche Cayenne SUV. But others, spurred by Tesla, are planning their own all-electric models. Audi said this month that it will have an all-electric SUV by 2018.