Musk Says Next-Gen Tesla Roadster Will Be Quicker Than Model S P100D
Today in a series of tweets, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk revealed some new details about the automaker's lineup. Musk clarified that the upcoming Model 3 electric sedan will be rear-wheel-drive only at the start of production, to help stick with the intended schedule. He also says the Model 3 will get a performance-oriented trim, and dropped a nifty little tidbit on the upcoming Tesla Roadster sports car.
Shown above, the first-generation Tesla Roadster, built from 2008-2012
Musk started by clarifying the Model 3's position in the larger Tesla lineup:
Am noticing that many people think Model 3 is the "next version" of a Tesla, like iPhone 2 vs 3. This is not true.
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
Model 3 is just a smaller, more affordable version of Model S w less range & power & fewer features. Model S has more advanced technology.
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
... and reiterating a long-running joke about the decision to call it Model 3:
Model 3 was going to be called Model E, for obvious dumb humor reasons, but Ford sued to block it, so now it is S3X. Totally different :)
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
Then the Tesla CEO began fielding questions from his Twitter followers:
@FredericLambert @JimPengelly No, we are minimizing configuration complexity to keep the production ramp on schedule. RWD only for early production, just like Model S.
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
@TimShelton @FredericLambert @JimPengelly First in line for dual motor as soon as we can make it, which is probably in 6 to 9 months.
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
The Model 3 is Tesla's all-electric answer to the affordable luxury mid-size sedan segment occupied by the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4. It promises over 200 miles of range as standard. Musk uploaded a brief video of one of the first production-spec Model 3s driving around:
First drive of a release candidate version of Model 3 pic.twitter.com/zcs6j1YRa4
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
Musk confirmed that a performance-oriented Model 3, which was teased at the model's launch event last year, will eventually reach production. The larger, heavier Model S will still be the performance king of the Tesla lineup, though-at least until the return of the Roadster.
@dr_angus Yeah, probably a year from now. S will still win on acceleration though, due to having more space for a larger battery.
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
@Skate_a_book Yes. Model S will always be the fastest Tesla until next gen Roadster, which is a few years away.
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
How quick will the next-gen Roadster have to be? Judging by Musk's claims today, it'll beat out the current P100D's wild 2.28-second 0-60 run, along with its 10.44-second quarter-mile time. That sounds plenty quick to us.
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