U Design: Tesla Model C Concept Study for a Compact Electric Hatch by Dejan Hristov

While Tesla Motors started its career and gained worldwide attention through its 2008 electric-powered Roadster that was built around the Lotus Elise and which has since been retired, the Silicon Valley-based carmaker has much bigger plans in store for eco-conscious consumers.
This year, Tesla launched its first entry into the automotive mainstream, the Model S electric sedan that went on sale in June, and previewed its next step in making electric cars available to a wider audience with the Model X seven-seater crossover concept that will lead to a production model within the next couple of years.
Understandably, in order to survive, Tesla will need to expand its range in other segments as well, and here's where an old acquaintance of CarScoop comes into the picture.
Dejan Hristov is an independent designer whom we came to know from his study for a Bugatti Super Sedan. This time, Hristov is proposing a smaller Tesla vehicle that he named the Model C.


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Tesla Model S Lands in Europe, Prices Start From €71,400 in Germany

With U.S. deliveries having started since June, Tesla Motors is now introducing its Model S all-electric luxury saloon in the European market – but only in its higher-end versions.

For the time being, Tesla announced that it will offer only the 60- and 85-kWh battery pack versions, leaving the 40-kWh edition out of the Model S' European range.

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This is What a Tesla Model S EV Burnout Looks and Sounds Like

While fiddling around with Tesla's new battery-powered Model S, the crew at Road&Track magazine wanted to have their 6 seconds of fame fun by performing something that looks, but never really sounds, like a proper burnout.

The result? As one commentator named Jason Pischke put it on the publication's YouTube channel, "Well that was... ummm, I'm just going to go with awkward".

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Tesla Motors Under Federal Investigation for Using Foreign Instead of U.S.-Made Parts

Electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors has had its ups and downs in recent months. It may still be in the red and facing the wrath of traditional dealers over its Apple-like stores, but its Model S received a lot of praise, and unlike rival Fisker Automotive, it hasn’t been involved in massive (and image-damaging) recalls.

What it does have in common with Fisker, though, is federal agencies questioning their spending of federal loans. According to a report from The Washington Times, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has been conducting an investigation on Tesla for nearly a year.

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Tesla Internship Project for a Battery-Powered Compact

As a pioneer of the modern day electric car, it’s only natural that Tesla Motors draws the attention of young and aspiring designers like Hyonwoo Jason Kim, a transportation design student at the Art Center College Of Design in California.

What makes the Korean-born student's conceptual study for an all-electric Tesla hatchback more interesting, is that it was penned as an internship project while working at the Silicon Valley-based carmaker.

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Mass. Superior Court Denies Injunction Request Against Tesla by Dealers’ Association

On November 16, Tesla opened its first “new design” retail store in Toronto, Canada. It’s located in the Yorkdale Shopping Center and features large touchscreens on which customers can design their own Model S and then view it on a massive 85-inch video wall.

The same day that Tesla Motors was opening its 24th store in North America a Massachusetts Superior Court judge was denying a request by the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association and individual dealerships for a preliminary injunction against the automaker’s store in suburban Boston.

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Tesla CEO Says Company-Owned Outlets are Legal, EV Adoption Requires “A New Business Model”

On Monday, May 25, Tesla opened its first store this year at the Westchester shopping mall in New York. Right from the start, NADA, the National Automobile Dealers Association, had issues with Tesla's Apple-like store approach, while many pointed out that 48 states prohibit company-owned car dealerships.

In litigation-obsessed America, it’s no surprise that the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association has challenged Tesla’s three NYC stores. Its lawsuit was dismissed, but dealers in New York and Massachusetts sued Tesla last week claiming it was violating franchise laws.

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New Tesla Model S Stuns 2013 BMW M5 in 100mph – 160km/h Drag Race

Just like cars powered by conventional, internal combustion engines (ICE), electric vehicles or EVs have their pros and cons.

While most people wouldn't consider speed as a strong point of electric cars, truth is, under certain circumstances and depending, of course, on the setup and several other factors, EVs can better their ICE counterparts, one reason being that electric motors produce all of their torque instantly.

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Tesla Under Fire Over Factory-Owned Stores, Dealers’ Associations Cry Foul

The late Steve Jobs’ legacy lives on not only in making Apple a leading company in its sector but also in establishing a wholly new customer approach that has been widely acknowledged as a huge success.

It’s a practice that many companies try to emulate; automakers are not an exception, with GM having already said that its wants "to become the 'Apple' of the automotive industry”.

Tesla, though, is one-step ahead, eschewing the traditional auto dealership model in favor of stores within shopping malls. Elon Musk’s company has opened 17 factory-owned stores in 10 states and the District of Columbia, with another 6 to follow soon.

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Tesla CEO Cagey About 2012 Model S Sales, Confident About Meeting 2013 Targets

Two months ago, Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said that his company would deliver 5,000 units of its Model S this year. Yet, when he was interviewed on Bloomberg Television’s “In the Loop with Betty Liu” on September 21, he was reluctant to confirm that the company’s electric saloon would indeed meet its initial sales target.

“I need to be very hesitant about talking about any near-term metrics for Tesla”, said Musk who, nevertheless, was buoyant about Tesla’s 2013 targets claiming that it will deliver 20,000 units and achieve a gross margin of “more than 20 percent”.

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AutoNation CEO Says Tesla’s Model S is The Best Electric Car He’s Driven, Superior to Fisker Karma

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk says he wants to shift 5,000 examples of the new Model S electric saloon this year and four times that in 2013. It's a very ambitious target so, naturally, any endorsement is more than welcome; especially if it comes from the nation’s largest auto retailer.

Labeling it, “a first-rate car” and “the best electric car I've ever driven", does the job nicely, thank you. That’s exactly what AutoNation Inc. CEO Mike Jackson said after driving the car during his visit to a showroom near Tesla’s HQ on August 15, according to a Bloomberg News report.

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Mercedes Reportedly Confirms Electric Version of New B-Class for the States

It looks like the new generation of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class will come to the United States after all - or at least one of the models in the lineup will.

An unnamed inside source at Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler AG told German publication Automobilwoche that an electric version of the compact MPV will go on sale in America from 2014.

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You Can Now Buy a $100,000 Tesla S at the…Shopping Mall

If you are into cars, your next visit to the shopping mall may become a little more interesting - if Tesla Motors gets its way. On Friday, May 25, Tesla opened its first U.S. store of the year and its 22-second worldwide, at The Westchester shopping center in White Plains, New York.

Opening a car dealership in a mall sounds like a strange idea since nobody goes to a shopping center to buy a car, but according to George Blankenship of former Apple fame, that's the whole idea.

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Toyota Introduces Production Version of RAV4 EV, Prices Start at $49,800

Toyota chose the second day of the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles to present the world premiere of the production RAV4 EV featuring a pure-electric driveline developed by Tesla Motors.

While based on the current RAV4, the Japanese automaker is commanding almost twice the price of the popular SUV's top trim-level (Limited: $25,530) for the electric model that will begin arriving in select showrooms this summer with an MSRP of $49,800 before any state and federal incentives.

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Tesla Fails Again in its Libel Suit Against Top Gear for Roadster Test

Back in December of 2008, Top Gear tested the Tesla Roadster. The Elise-based electric sports car was panned on almost every respect, from its abysmal range and overheating engine to the failed brakes.

Last March, Tesla filed a libel suit against BBC’s TV car show, claiming that the whole test was “staged” and demanded that the channel stop airing the episode while also asking for a compensation for damages.

After its first court case was dismissed in October of 2011, Tesla modified its lawsuit and gave it another shot. Unfortunately for Tesla, the lawsuit was dismissed by Mr Justice Tugendhat.

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Tesla Unveils New Model X CUV with Falcon Wings and Seating for Seven

The electric carmaker named after one of the most original and greatest inventors and thinkers of all time introduced a brand new CUV called the Model X, which is based on the running gear and chassis of the Model S sedan.

Tesla says its latest creation fuses the utility of MPVs with the style of SUVs offering an available all-wheel drive option and seating for seven in three rows of seats.

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