Tesla Motors is making a new Roadster – for release in 2019, apparently
The company's first car will make a comeback, albeit in an all-new form
We heard all about Tesla Motors’ various Model S enhancements in yesterday’s conference, including the Ludicrous Speed Upgrade and higher-capacity battery, but that wasn’t all the company had on offer.
It turns out that Elon Musk’s company plans to revisit its original electric car: the Tesla Roadster. Released in 2008, the original Roadster was based on the Lotus Elise, and the company only produced 2,500 units – a drop in the bucket compared to the 75,000+ Model S units sold so far. The Roadster eventually gave way to the Model S, but Tesla plans to take another crack at it.
But when? The press release about the Model S upgrades hinted at just that: “There is of course one speed faster than ludicrous, but that is reserved for the next generation Roadster in 4 years: maximum plaid.” So, 2019 then? According to The Verge, Musk clarified on the conference call that it’ll be a totally new car.
The original two-seater Tesla Roadster may be a relic in the company’s history, having been out of production since 2012, but it hasn’t been forgotten. At the end of 2014, Tesla released an upgrade package that extended its range by upwards of 50%, allowing up to 400 miles on a full charge.
And Tesla has big plans ahead. Along with continually updating the Model S and offering ever more options, the Model X SUV is due out this autumn, while the long-promised (and much cheaper) Model III is targeted for 2017. If Tesla drops a new Roadster in 2019, it’ll be on a pace of introducing a new car every two years. For a company that not that long ago was on the edge of collapse, that’s ambitious indeed.
[Source: The Verge]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
