Tesla Roadster to Go Out of Production in 2011

Paperwork can sometimes hide important secrets, especially if you know where to look. And it seems that the guys at www.wired.com/autopia managed to find their way around Tesla’s IPO filing with the SEC, which reveals striking news for the fans of the electric car: Tesla Roadster’s production will end in 2011.

The IPO filing stated: “Prior to the launch of our Model S, we anticipate our automotive sales may decline, potentially significantly as we do not plan to sell our current generation Tesla Roadster after 2011 due to planned tooling changes at a supplier for the Tesla Roadster, and we do not currently plan to begin selling our next generation Tesla Roadster until at least one year after the launch of the Model S, which is not expected to be in production until 2012.”

The Roadster seems to be going out of production due to the fact that Lotus will stop producing this Elise platform in 2011, while Tesla is unable to manage the costs of the engineering design changes in the Roadster. But the good news is the Brits will pop out a new Elise/Exige in 2012, so that makes everything better.

Tesla’s decision to kill the Roadster in order to produce a sedan which should have seven seats seems kind of drastic, especially as the Model S does not have a platform yet.

If you’re keen on driving a Tesla, you’d better run to a dealership and order one asap. The way we see it, the Model S might not make it into showrooms.