We’ve got a lot to report from Tesla’s 2014 4th quarter earnings report and conference call. This post will discuss some of the Tesla Model X stuff. First, however, the Model X has been spotted testing a couple of times this week. Below are six pictures snapped of a black and not heavily camouflaged test vehicle.
Looks hot to me!
For video, compare with this test vehicle, which looks like it could well be a Model X.
Interestingly, on the press call, Elon Musk said that the Model X would not be shown publicly until delivery. There’s not going to be any unveiling at a motor show. The specific question that prompted the statement was: “Is there going to be, you know, any advanced showings of it at any auto shows ahead of the launch?”
Elon’s his exact words: “You know, because there are these different features that I mentioned — I’m being sort of intentionally obtuse — we’re not going to show it until it gets delivered.” Hmm, Elon is fond of these secret clues/hints, and he has many of us trying to figure this one out now.
What these “different features” are that Tesla doesn’t want to (or can’t) show before delivery, we’re not really sure, but there’s a good thread about this topic over on the Tesla Motors Club (TMC) forum that I recommend checking out.
Some of the initial speculation includes:
- cool self-driving features
- the lack of rear-view mirrors (side cameras approved by the NHTSA instead)
- much-improved batteries
What’s your guess?
Despite no unveiling at a motor show, word is the Model X will be shown at a private unveiling beforehand in the second quarter of the year — after all, people need to configure and see a good approximation of their Model Xs before finalizing their orders.