Tesla Motors, the electric-car maker, unveiled its much-anticipated Model S sedan on Thursday, here at the SpaceX rocket plant,
The first cars would be delivered to customers in the third quarter of 2011. The company said it would build the car in Southern California, but would not say where.
Three different power configurations will be available in 160-mile, 230-mile and 300-mile battery packs. The 160-mile pack comes standard on the $57,400 base model (a federal tax credit can shave $7,500 from the price).
The Model S would weigh 4,000 pounds and have a top speed of more than 130 miles an hour. It is said to accelerate from a standing start to 60 miles an hour in less than six seconds. The $109,000 Tesla Roadster can sprint to 60 miles an hour in four seconds.
The Model S, which looks a bit like the Maserati Quattroporte sedan, was the subject of a recent styling re-do by Franz von Holzhausen, formerly of Mazda, who joined Tesla last year. The original design was sketched by Henrik Fisker, who has since started his own electric-car company.
The Model S will seat up to seven people. Folding the rear seats down increases cargo space. It also has side-facing seats in the rear, like some station wagons once had.