Elon Musk is Confident of Prospect to Sell 10,000 Cars Annually in Germany

Tesla CEO and co-founder, Elon Musk, seems sure that Europe will appreciate the Tesla Model S, even more so than America, not only because of its much talked about qualities, but also because distances on the Old Continent are considerably shorter, therefore making it more practical to use on a daily basis. In Norway, it was so popular, in fact, that it became the country’s best-selling car for about two weeks, in September, as per previous reports.

Now, Musk goes further, talking to Welt am Sonntag, quoted by Reuters. He said, "I have confidence in the German consumer," going on to add that "Our fast charging stations should cover around half of Germany by the end of March 2014 and the entire country by the end of 2014." This move will be backed up by the opening of a planned number of 25 dealerships in the country, by the end of 2014.

The goal is to achieve 10,000 sales per year by 2015, with a car that starts from €71,400, but you can pay up to €109,150 for a fully-extra Signature Performance model. However, the introduction of the Model S, and the construction of the Supercharger network will do a great job in smoothing the arrival of the smaller and cheaper electric car that Tesla is reportedly working on.

You can also check out a German perspective on the Model S in the video posted below via Deutsche Welle – it’s a bit different to the usual reviews we post, especially in its approach to testing and picking out key qualities that matter.

By Andrei Nedelea

Video Credits: Deutsche Welle

VIDEO

Tesla Won’t be Investigated by NHTSA for Model S Fire

It’s been ruled; Tesla won’t be facing a large scale investigation over the October 1 battery fire incident, but rather pay the penalty in the revenue it gets from trading green car credits.

The National Highway Safety Administration said on Thursday that “no evidence that the fire on a Washington state highway resulted from a Model S defect or violations of U.S. safety standards. The luxury car struck metal debris that pierced its lithium-ion battery pack.”

Tesla CEO and co-founder, Elon Musk, was keen to point out that they’ve installed a “six-millimeter thick armor plate on the bottom of the car,” further distancing the company from the implications of the fire. Evidently, though, the market did react, and shares fell by 10 percent in the two days after it all happened.

Moving over to the Silicon Valley-based automaker’s European side of the business, Musk gave an interview while he was in London, where he illustrated his views on why the Model S is a suitable car for the Old Continent.

In fact, he even went as far as to say it’s more suitable here, than it is in the US, basing the argument on several points, but especially the reality of distances being much shorter, and therefore making the dreaded range anxiety less of an issue. You can find the interview, in video form, courtesy of Bloomberg, after the virtual jump.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

This Tesla Model S Review Doesn’t Completely Shower it with Appreciation

Pretty much all Tesla Model S reviews we’ve seen so far have been raving on about how good it is to drive, the big 17-inch screen and the pretty styling. They all talk about how it’s one of, if not the, first EV that also really works as a car. That’s still the case with this latest one we found, uploaded by EverydayDriver, though the stance it takes beyond that is different.

The reviewers (there are two of them) first begin to comment on the Model S’ interior, which they say is “all about the big screen,” and because it’s meant to draw your attention to it, the fledgling manufacturer has put less emphasis on material quality – its overall finish does not reflect is high price tag, according to the video.

As for handling, the reviewer says yes, the car is competent, but no it’s not an agile little sports car dressed up as a big family car. We are lead to understand that the Model S needs a bit of time to settle into a corner, after the driver has sent his or her input through the steering wheel. It grips and steers brilliantly (no surprises here), but we are warned that it definitely shows its weight, and it’s not necessarily the most engaging of drives – a Porsche Panamera or Aston Martin Rapide would serve you better in that area.

However, since this review is a different take on the Model S, the conclusion reached at the end is also an unusual one, but it’s an understandable choice given the presented arguments. Now, check it out after the jump.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

Oh, Cartman…South Park Fist-Bumps Tesla Model S Calling it's Throttle 'The P…Y Pedal’

If you ask me, Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s South Park animated series has aged like fine wine. Sure, the first two seasons were a mere test bed for characters, settings and humor types, but that’s some 15 years in the past, and now the show has created its own unique bubble where freedom of speech and expression are pushed to the very edge, and whatever situation (or bad movie) is plaguing the American public will be violently satirized and ridiculed to raise awareness.

Naturally, laughing at clearly directed pokey humor is a big part of why South Park is still so popular, and so far, in the newly-started season, number seventeen, it’s been business as usual.

The two creators don’t seem to miss any of the important developments that take place while the show is off-air, and thus we were not shocked to see Tesla’s electric Model S featured, and, of course, made fun of specifically because it's not powered by gasoline...

There’s nothing in particular that they link to, though, and the only use of derogatory terms is calling the car’s throttle the ‘pussy pedal’ – its logo has been altered, though, and now it looks like some kind of mushroom. They would have definitely played more with the Model S, had the recent fire happened before the episode was put together, but it doesn’t mean they won’t be picking it up again.

Check out the video excerpt posted below, or go watch the complete (third) episode which is freely available on the official site, M'kay?

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

This is What a Tesla Model S EV Burnout Looks and Sounds Like

While fiddling around with Tesla's new battery-powered Model S, the crew at Road&Track magazine wanted to have their 6 seconds of fame fun by performing something that looks, but never really sounds, like a proper burnout.
The result? As one commentator named Jason Pischke put it on the publication's YouTube channel, "Well that was... ummm, I'm just going to go with awkward".