Photo: Tesla
Elon Musk has confirmed a rumor that announced the possibility of Tesla building an MPV on the Model X’s platform.
As usual, Elon Musk went to what appears to be his favorite communication medium, Twitter, to announce the news. Since Twitter limits each post to just 140 characters, Elon Musk can be as brief as he likes, while still sending out a message.
In the case of the Tesla MPV, or Tesla Minibus, as Musk calls it, Elon Musk has confirmed guesswork by Jalopnik on the matter, and has stated that the new model will be built on the chassis of the Model X.
Evidently, the guess started somewhere, as Elon Musk’s recent Master Plan for Tesla was published, and it included the idea of launching a “high passenger density urban transport.” The specific term of the industry for this kind of vehicle would be a minivan, or MPV, but a minibus is also suitable.
Tesla has a significant advantage when compared to traditional automakers, as its cars have a flat floor on both ends, and this means that the automaker can easily employ configurations that are difficult to fit with conventional vehicles.
Thanks to the level floor configuration, Tesla could make use of even more space inside the minivan it intends to build on the platform of the Model X.
Evidently, Elon Musk did not announce further details regarding the potential production model of the Tesla MPV. However, the CEO of Tesla did tweet that the vehicle will have a design that will be inspired by the design art of the “California Custom VW combi.”
The comment means that the classic minibus from Volkswagen might get an electric cousin from Tesla Motors, if everything is green-lighted. VW kept promising to launch a modern successor of the Bus, but it never came to market in a form that features retro design elements.
For the moment, we do not have a timeline of when the American automaker will launch an electric MPV. The vehicle could also be a form of electric, self-driving, city shuttle, as Musk’s tweets and statements show. The best approach here will be to wait and see what Tesla brings to market.
In the case of the Tesla MPV, or Tesla Minibus, as Musk calls it, Elon Musk has confirmed guesswork by Jalopnik on the matter, and has stated that the new model will be built on the chassis of the Model X.
Evidently, the guess started somewhere, as Elon Musk’s recent Master Plan for Tesla was published, and it included the idea of launching a “high passenger density urban transport.” The specific term of the industry for this kind of vehicle would be a minivan, or MPV, but a minibus is also suitable.
Tesla has a significant advantage when compared to traditional automakers, as its cars have a flat floor on both ends, and this means that the automaker can easily employ configurations that are difficult to fit with conventional vehicles.
Thanks to the level floor configuration, Tesla could make use of even more space inside the minivan it intends to build on the platform of the Model X.
Evidently, Elon Musk did not announce further details regarding the potential production model of the Tesla MPV. However, the CEO of Tesla did tweet that the vehicle will have a design that will be inspired by the design art of the “California Custom VW combi.”
The comment means that the classic minibus from Volkswagen might get an electric cousin from Tesla Motors, if everything is green-lighted. VW kept promising to launch a modern successor of the Bus, but it never came to market in a form that features retro design elements.
For the moment, we do not have a timeline of when the American automaker will launch an electric MPV. The vehicle could also be a form of electric, self-driving, city shuttle, as Musk’s tweets and statements show. The best approach here will be to wait and see what Tesla brings to market.
Some good guessing by @Jalopnik. The Tesla Minibus will be built on a Model X chassis. People density potential is surprisingly high.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2016
Google News