Telsa unveils Model X with falcon-wing doors

PanARMENIAN.Net -

The highlight of the Model X introduction, Tesla's SUV, was not the electric power train, but what the company calls the falcon-wing doors, CNET reported.

The manufacturer being Tesla, it was a given that the Model X would be an electrically driven vehicle. So during a preview for a small group of journalists at Tesla's design center in Los Angeles, Tesla CEO Elon Musk focused on the innovative side doors.

These doors lift up from the sides, then hinge in the middle before gaining their full height. Unlike gull-wing doors, Tesla's doors can open in much narrower spaces. Musk said they give the Model X the largest door openings of any passenger car. Impressively, he was able to stand in the car, his head underneath the open door, without crouching.

The Model X, which is built on a slightly elongated version of the Model S platform, has a full third row. Musk demonstrated that it could be accessed without folding down the middle-row seats. Instead, the middle row slid forward.

Musk says he does not expect the Model X prototype to change much in its looks when it reaches production. Most changes would be done to improve aerodynamics. The car keeps many of the design elements of the Model S, although with a higher roofline. Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen says he tried to design the car to not look too masculine or too feminine.

The Model X is slated to enter production in 2013, with sales beginning in 2014. Pricing is expected to be similar to that of the Model S.