2012 Galleries

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Galleries // 2012 Spark:Product // Tesla Model X

Tesla Model X

Winner - Platinum

Competition: Spark:Product
Designer: Mr. Franz von Holzhausen - Chief Designer
Design Type: Product
Website: http://www.teslamotors.com

As the first premium electric sport utility vehicle, Model X is the automobile of the 21st century. It combines pioneering technology with timeless elegance. To create the pinnacle of vehicle innovation, the designer tackled an ambitious challenge: to create the first all-electric SUV that has the functionality and roominess of a minivan, the style and cool design of an SUV, and the performance of a sports car. Tesla believes it is creating vehicles that change the way people look at cars and Model X is the car that will change people’s lives. The primary design theme of Model S is efficiency, but “uncompromised” is the word used to describe Model X: ridding people of the addiction to fossil fuel, creating an extremely functional, very attractive SUV that will change the way people think about utility vehicles. Model X doesn’t use a drop of gasoline, making it possible to finally live a big-car lifestyle without contributing to emissions. By replacing big gas guzzling SUVs with Model X, drivers can play a significant role in reducing their carbon footprint without having to sacrifice the convenience of a big car. Powered by a 60 or 85 kWh battery, Model X offers incredible driving range. Model X is equipped with unique Falcon Wing doors that, while earning serious style points, are functional first. They are unique in that they are double hinged, open up and out of the way, and can open in extremely tight spaces or the narrowest of parking spots. The Falcon door of Model X finally makes access to the third-row of an SUV easy. Passengers can stand up in the second row and easily step directly to the third row. Even with child seats installed, the second-row seats slide all the way forward. Kids no longer leap and tumble over the second row, and adults find the third-row seats as accessible and comfortable as the passenger seat with no roof to duck under. There is no car on the market with the access and usability of Model X which the Falcon door system allows. Model X is built on the same platform as the premium sedan, Model S, but with a longer wheelbase. On the inside, however, Model X has 40 percent more room than an Audi Q7 and other vehicles in its class. Because Model X has no internal combustion engine or transmission tunnel, Tesla has been able to design a vehicle capable of comfortably seating seven large adults and holding considerable luggage. The two usable cargo areas - a rear trunk and front trunk or “frunk” - merit Model X with class-leading cargo space. The highlight of the cabin’s functionality is the 17” in-dash touchscreen display that includes driver controls, vehicle apps, web connectivity and onboard charging. The Tesla Vehicle Platform enables Model X to perform in ways never expected from a car of its size. The battery pack and powertrain components of Model X lie flat in the floor, giving the vehicle excellent weight distribution and rigidity. Tesla started with a blank sheet of paper and was able to redefine what a utility vehicle could be with Model X and did so with no compromises. With a center of gravity lower than any other SUV, it offers superior handling with its nimble reflexes at every turn. Model X offers a remarkable combination of functionality, style and performance unheard of for a vehicle in its class. The electric powertrain delivers instant torque for confident lane changes, even when loaded with seven adults and all their gear. Model X will offer dual motor all-wheel drive for superior all-weather driving. The second motor enables more than all-weather, all-road capabilities: it increases torque by 50 percent. Built of stamped aluminum, and designed with exceptional aerodynamics, Model X accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds, outperforming the fastest SUVs and many premium sports cars, like the Porsche 911 Carrera.