{"id":95232,"date":"2015-06-10T12:36:05","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T16:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=95232"},"modified":"2015-06-10T12:36:06","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T16:36:06","slug":"tesla-ready-to-launch-model-x-autonomous-driving-tech-to-follow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/06\/tesla-ready-to-launch-model-x-autonomous-driving-tech-to-follow\/","title":{"rendered":"Tesla Ready to Launch Model X, Autonomous Driving Tech to Follow"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tesla's Elon Musk said the long-awaited Model X will hit showrooms in the last quarter of this year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a two-year delay, Tesla finally plans to bring its much-anticipated second product line, the Model X battery-electric SUV, to market within the next three to four months.<\/p>\n

The California-based manufacturer also expects to start offering its new auto-pilot, a semi-autonomous driving system, in the coming months, said CEO Elon Musk during Tesla\u2019s annual shareholder\u2019s meeting. Musk also suggested he is looking forward to a time when rocket launches to Mars become relatively routine, possibly by the SpaceX private rocket company he also controls.<\/p>\n

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We Keep You Plugged In!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Model X is expected to greatly expand the potential audience for Tesla\u2019s products considering the strong demand for utility vehicles. Like the Model S sedan, it will feature a fully electric drivetrain that is expected to be offered with a variety of different battery-pack sizes and performance levels.<\/p>\n

The production model is expected to carry over the unusual \u201cfalcon wing\u201d doors first shown on a prototype version several years ago.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tesla's Model X crossover is the maker's next addition to its line-up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Tesla, it already has tentative orders for at least 20,000 Model X utes. The company estimates it will sell about 55,000 vehicles in 2015, including the current Model S sedan. Tesla is, meanwhile, working up a third offering that will be aimed at a more mainstream audience, the Model III.<\/p>\n

Along with the environmentally friendly nature of the company\u2019s products, Tesla has been pitching its high-tech approach to car design. Virtually all key vehicle functions in the Model S are operated using a laptop computer-sized touchscreen that dominates the instrument panel.<\/p>\n

The maker also has designed its vehicles to allow extensive technical updates to be automatically uploaded to the vehicle. One recent update was intended to improve the range and performance of older Model S sedans. And Tesla is preparing to launch its autopilot feature which will allow limited hands-free operation on limited-access highways.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is simply meant as a driver-assist feature,\u201d Musk explained during the shareholder\u2019s meeting, and not as a true autonomous vehicle system. But fully hands-free driving is on Tesla\u2019s agenda, he noted, suggesting that his \u201cbest guess\u201d is that fully autonomous technology will be in place within three years.<\/p>\n

(Tesla loses money in Q1 and expects Model X to debut in Q4. For more, <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWith each passing year, my estimate for when it happens gets closer,\u201d added Musk. \u201cThis is both interesting and alarming.”<\/p>\n

Tesla is just one of the many automakers working on autonomous driving, a list that also includes established manufacturers like Daimler AG, General Motors and Nissan, the latter promising to have its first fully autonomous vehicle in production by 2020. High-tech giant Google also is working on autonomous technology, though it is expected to seek a partner, rather than trying to build cars of its own.<\/p>\n

Proving that his vision of the future isn\u2019t bound by gravity, Musk also used the Tesla event to discuss plans for his rocket company, SpaceX. When asked if it would follow Tesla\u2019s lead with an IPO, the South African-born entrepreneur cautioned that is not one of his short-term goals. In fact, he said, that he doesn\u2019t see that happening until rocket flights to Mars become relatively routine.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for details about why Consumer Reports called its Model S “undriveable.”)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

SpaceX has long-term goals, Musk noted, that would not be \u201csuper-loved\u201d by potential investors.<\/p>\n

The company is currently focused on closer reaches of space. It has so far had nine successful supply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and is working on an advanced version of its space capsule which could begin ferrying astronauts to the ISS before the end of the decade.<\/p>\n

In business developments, Musk also noted that Deepak Ahuja, one of the few remaining executives who have been with Tesla since its founding, 12 years ago, will be leaving the company.<\/p>\n

(To see how Panasonic will help Tesla launch its new gigafactory, <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Together, we overcame the challenges of the early days at Tesla,” Musk said. “As our first CFO, he guided us through several investment rounds, led the effort to take Tesla public, helped us become a strong business based on solid gross margins, and built a very strong finance team.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a two-year delay, Tesla finally plans to bring its much-anticipated second product line, the Model X battery-electric SUV, to market within the next three to four months. The maker expects to sell 55,000 vehicles this year. For more, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95232"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95232"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=95232"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=95232"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=95232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}