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Tesla Motors to Showcase Roadster VIN 1000 and Model S Concept at NAIAS.

 
4 1,829 views January 12, 2010

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Tesla Motors will be showcasing a major milestone in their production history at the North American International Auto Show.  Tesla Roadster VIN 1,000 will be making it's debut at Cobo Hall, signifying Tesla Motors' impressive feat of producing / selling 1,000 highway capable electric vehicles worldwide.  Tesla Motors' tumultuous efforts were some of the most publicized corporate affairs in recent memory, but those memories are now history, as Tesla Motors achieved profitability and expanded their sales / service locations around the world.

Tesla Motors now looks towards the future, also presenting the Tesla Model S sedan (shown) at the autoshow.  Even against the bleak backdrop of a Detroit, Michigan winter, it is a stunning jewel to behold.  The Model S is tentatively planned for domestic production at a brownfield toxic waste site in Downey, California.  I say tentatively, because Tesla Motors had previously selected sites in New Mexico, San Jose and now Downey, so plans could (and perhaps should) still change, as protests against exposing workers to unsafe environments and advocates for the shuttered NUMMI plant apply pressure.

Last, but certainly not least, is Tesla Roadster VIN 750, which made a 3,600+ mile trip from Los Angeles to Cobo Hall from Dec. 17 to Jan. 8, which was documented on the Tesla Roadster Roadtrip site.  While some degradation in range was experienced, it's reliability and durability on the long trip and harsh winter conditions is still impressive.

[Source: Tesla Motors]





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Comments (4)

  1. By Noel Park Posted: 1/12/2010 1:10pm PST

    Well I was about to make a sarcastic comment about Tesla, but I'm forced to admit that the photo is one of a heck of a good looking car.
    Our business is in Bellflower, CA, just down the road from the proposed Downey site. It is the site of the old North American-Rockwell plant where the Apollo spacecraft were built. It may be a brownfield, but they built a huge retail mall on a big portion of it, so it can't be that bad. I really think that it's a very solvable issue. The availability of NUMMI is an interesting thought though.
    Anyway, I'm from Missouri when it comes to Tesla. I keep thinking that they will be blown away when real cars from GM, Ford, et al, arrive. But it is a nice looking car......
     
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  2. By Jason M. Hendler Posted: 1/12/2010 4:12pm PST

    Noel, I truly believe that Tesla Motors perfectly positioned themselves with the right products for the right markets to be profitable. Large automakers are now targeting mid range markets with slimmer margins, so they have the riskier bets. The Chevy Volt strikes me as the best next stepping stone towards EV's and FCV's for the mass markets. This means Tesla Motors has the high end BEV market to themselves.
     
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  3. By Noel Park Posted: 1/13/2010 12:27pm PST

    Jason:
    Hey, more power to them if they can make it work. New, innovative, US based companies, building US produced cars, would be wonderful. It's just that automotive history is so littered with the corpses of hopeful startups that I'm pretty cynical. If Mr. Musk can defy the odds and succeed, I will be one of the first in line to congratulate him. But I'm not taking any flyers on the stock, LOL.
     
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  4. By Jason M. Hendler Posted: 1/13/2010 12:54pm PST

    Noel, why not? They've already reached profitability on the Roadsters, and have additional contracts for battery packs and EV power trains. The government loan to build a plant, and CA's help by waiving equipment sales taxes, etc. mean the wind is now at their back.
     
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