When a traditional car company gets ready to launch a new model it sends out teaser images, cryptic videos and hints -- on or off the record. But not Tesla whose CEO, Elon Musk decided to simply tweet directly to an existing Roadster owner that a new car is coming.
And it's coming very soon as Musk has promised that an updated Roadster will be officially unveiled "next week" as 2014 becomes 2015.
What isn't clear is whether the announcement will be a special upgrade package for the existing Roadster or a completely new, redesigned open top sportscar.
The first-generation Tesla Roadster was the electric car company's first model. Developed in partnership with Lotus, it borrowed much of its exterior appearance from the Lotus Elise. However, that was where the similarities ended.
The Roadster could accelerate from 0-60mph in under four seconds and was capable of covering over 200 miles on a single charge. And as impressive as it was, the Model S executive sedan that followed it in 2012 is such a quantum leap forward in terms of battery and charging technology that the Roadster feels much older in comparison that it really is.
Musk has dropped hints in interviews and during shareholder meetings throughout the year that the company was planning to do something with the Roadster. However, he has been intentionally vague as to whether the company was building a new car or planning to recall existing models and significantly upgrade their hardware and software.
In October Tesla took the wraps off a new sportier version of the Model S -- the Model ‘D' which uses two electric motors sending power to all four wheels and capable of hitting 100km/h in 3.2 seconds, a fraction slower off the mark than a two-seater Ferrari 458 Italia.
There's a good chance that the Roadster -- whether a brand new model or an upgrade for the existing car -- will use the same dual engine, four-wheel-drive set-up to improve handling, grip and acceleration.
Source: Relaxnews