Tesla video teases unnamed vehicle under a sheet, and new Roadster accelerating
A new Tesla video teases footage of factories, employees and a planned second-generation Roadster, which is supposed to be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds
By Robert Ferris
A new video Tesla posted to YouTube on Wednesday shows an image of an unnamed vehicle partially hidden by a sheet, and footage of passengers reacting to the acceleration of Tesla’s planned second-generation Roadster.
The video, first pointed out by electric vehicle blog Electrek, is a stab at generating hype around Tesla’s brand days after CEO Elon Musk behaved antagonistically toward Wall Street analysts during the company’s first-quarter earnings conference call.
Some of the viewers on the video and in other venues are speculating the vehicle under the sheet is the planned Model Y, a crossover based on the Tesla Model 3 sedan, a US$35,000 mass market vehicle which is in high demand, but which Tesla has struggled to produce.
Tesla was not immediately available for comment.
On the call, Musk said Tesla will make the Model Y easier to produce than previous products. The Model 3 has been plagued both by repeatedly missed production targets, and reports of a high volume of flawed parts and extensive rework on vehicles .
“There’s no question we could have made the Model 3 much easier to produce than we have,” Musk said. “I think Model Y is going to be a manufacturing revolution.”
Tesla is so far planning to begin production on the Model Y in 2020, Musk said on the call, later than the 2019 production date Reuters had previously reported.
Tesla plans to choose a facility for the Model Y no later than the fourth-quarter, but will not be making it at Tesla’s Fremont production plant, which is already “jammed to the gills,” Musk said on the call.
The second-generation Roadster was unveiled along with the Tesla Semi in November of last year. Among other things, the Roadster is supposed to go from 0-60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds. Tesla is currently taking US$50,000 reservations for the Roadster, which will have a US$200,000 base price.
