WHAT'S NEWS
-- Tesla Motors 2008 Roadster Reservations now exceed 560 of a planned
total 800 available Roadsters for the 2008 model year.
-- Many customers buying the Roadster are currently hybrid car owners,
particularly the Prius. These customers are motivated by the ability to
have a beautiful, high performance sports car that is actually more than
twice as energy efficient as a Prius.
-- Many other customers are simply motivated by the extraordinary styling
and performance characteristics of the car, and have chosen the Roadster
over such cars as the Porsche 911 and BMW M6.
BACKGROUND: TESLA MOTORS
-- Tesla Motors develops and manufactures vehicles that exemplify
"Design, Performance, and Efficiency" while conforming to all U.S. safety,
environmental, and durability standards.
-- The Tesla Roadster, a stylish, high-performance, 100% electric sports
car, accelerates to 60 mph in about 4 seconds and has a range of more than
200 miles on a single charge.
-- Tesla Motors expects to start shipping Roadsters to customers this
Fall.
-- Tesla Motors was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc
Tarpenning to create efficient electric cars for people who love to drive.
-- Tesla Motors currently employs more than 250 people, including teams
in California, Michigan, the U.K. and Taiwan. For more information, visit
www.teslamotors.com
QUOTES
-- Attributable to Darryl Siry, VP of Sales, Marketing and Service at
Tesla Motors:
-- "We currently plan to produce 800 of the first model year Roadsters,
and the fact that more than 560 are already accounted for
demonstrates the tremendous demand for the 2008 Tesla Roadster."
-- "A strong motivation for many of our customers is the fact that the
Roadster will be the only production car available that produces
zero emissions, but the design and performance of the car are each
a powerful draw on their own. We have had a number of recent buyers
tell us that they were in the market for a performance car like a
Porsche 911 or BMW M6 when they learned of the Tesla Roadster.
These customers are choosing the Roadster over traditional sports
car platforms with an understanding that the power delivery and
handling dynamics of the Tesla Roadster are second to none."
-- "One common misconception is that because of the high performance
aspects of the car, it must not be as efficient as hybrid models on
the market, such as a Prius. This is actually not true -- because of
the unique all-electric design, the Roadster offers supercar
performance yet is twice as energy efficient as the Prius. For
affluent customers who want to make a statement about energy
efficiency, the Roadster offers the opportunity to have the best of
both worlds."
-- "Another strong motivation is that the first model year of any
significant new platform tends to carry with it the thought that it
may one day become a collectable. Certainly, with an all-new model
from an all-new American car company and a revolutionary
all-electric powertrain, there are a lot of customers interested in
the 2008 Roadster as an instant classic with historical value."
RELATED NEWS
-- David Vespremi's Blog on the Driving Dynamics of the Tesla Roadster be
found at http://www.teslamotors.com/blog3/?p=61
MULTIMEDIA
-- Photos can be found at http://www.teslamotors.comCONTACT
-- For Tesla Motors: contact David Vespremi at 650.413.6270 or
davidv@teslamotors.com
TRADITIONAL PRESS RELEASE FORMAT BELOW:
Tesla Motors Surpasses 500th 2008 Roadster Reservation
With More Than 560 Customers Reserving 2008 Roadsters, Tesla Closes in on
Planned Production Goal of 800 for the 2008 Model Year
SAN CARLOS, Calif. -- (July 23, 2007) -- Tesla Motors, a manufacturer of
high-performance electric cars, has passed a significant milestone in
passing the 500 mark in 2008 model year Roadster reservations. "We are
currently planning to produce 800 of the first model year Roadsters," said
Darryl Siry, VP of Sales, Marketing and Service at Tesla Motors. "The fact
that more than 560 are already accounted for demonstrates the tremendous
demand for the 2008 Tesla Roadster."
Many Tesla Roadster customers already own hybrid gasoline cars, and have
purchased the Roadster to get the best of styling, performance and
efficiency, with the Roadster being twice as energy efficient as the Prius.
"One common misconception is that because of the high performance aspects
of the car, it must not be as efficient as hybrid models on the market,
such as a Prius," notes Siry, "This is actually not true. Because of the
unique all-electric design, the Roadster offers supercar performance yet is
twice as energy efficient as the Prius. For customers who want to make a
strong statement about energy efficiency, the Roadster offers the
opportunity to have the best of both worlds."
"We have also had a number of recent buyers tell us that they were in the
market for a performance car like a Porsche 911 or BMW M6 when they learned
of the Tesla Roadster. These customers are choosing the Roadster over
traditional sports car platforms with an understanding that the power
delivery and handling dynamics of the Tesla Roadster are second to none."
Early customers have also pointed to the historical value of the first
model year Roadster. "The first model year of any significant new platform
tends to carry with it the thought that it may one day become a
collectable. Certainly, with an all-new model from an all-new American car
company and a revolutionary all-electric powertrain, there are a lot of
customers interested in the 2008 Roadster as an instant classic with
historical value."
About Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors develops and manufactures vehicles that exemplify "Design,
Performance, and Efficiency" while conforming to all U.S. safety,
environmental, and durability standards. The Tesla Roadster, a stylish,
high-performance, 100% electric sports car, accelerates to 60 mph in about
4 seconds and has a range of more than 200 miles on a single charge. Tesla
Motors expects to start shipping Roadsters to customers this Fall. Tesla
Motors was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning to
create efficient electric cars for people who love to drive. Tesla Motors
currently employs more than 200 people, including teams in California,
Michigan, the U.K. and Taiwan. For more information, visit
www.teslamotors.com
Contact Information: Contact: David Vespremi Tesla Motors (650) 413-6270