At a sneak preview in Hawthorne, Calif. on Thursday, electric car maker Tesla unveiled its third car, an all-electric SUV, minivan hybrid called the Model X, for the first time. And yep, true to the rampant speculation on the Interwebs, it’s got so-called “falcon wing” doors, which are a Tesla-designed double-hinged play on gullf wing doors, named after Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Falcon rocket line for his other company Space-X (yeah, Tesla is just one of his three companies).
In contrast to gull wing doors that sweep out and up and take up considerable horizontal space, the Model X falcon wings lift up and have a double hinge so they take up a lot less horizontal space. Tesla designed the doors not only to add that extra cool-factor, but also to appeal to, say, a Mom or family driving to the mall and parking in a tight spot.
Because the doors open up vertically there’s also room to stand in the car while getting in and packing cargo (see photo) like kids and groceries. I fully stood up in the car with the doors open and I’m 5’11 and I had ample head room. The Model X is as roomy as any minivan out there and then some — it seats seven, and has cargo space in both the back trunk, and the front trunk (please don’t make me say frunk).
The Model X is built on the backbone of the Model S, Tesla’s sedan that will be delivered to customers this Summer, and the Model X prototype that we checked out on Thursday was Tesla’s most advanced prototype at a launch to date and little will be changed for the production version, said Musk.
Tesla execs drove us around a short driving track and the car handled like the Model S — it has the same low, long, bottom battery pack design. It’s pretty amazing to ride in a minivan/SUV that can handle like a sports car. Musk says the Model X can go zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds. Think of it as the first cool, green, sporty minivan.
The Model X will be priced similarly to the Model S, said Musk, (Model S costs $50,000 to $70,000) and will have about the same electric driving range, with potentially 10 percent less range, because it’s a heavier car (the Model S has three range option, 160 miles, 230 miles and 300 miles).
OK, enough talk, I know you want to see the first photos of Tesla’s Model X! So here you go:
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1 / 18The Model X with falcon wings openingThe Model X with falcon wings opening -
2 / 18Tesla Model X with falcon wings fully openTesla Model X with falcon wings fully open -
3 / 18Elon Musk explaining falcon wingsElon Musk explaining falcon wings -
4 / 18Close-up side shot of the falcon wingsClose-up side shot of the falcon wings -
5 / 18Front view of the falcon wingFront view of the falcon wing -
6 / 18Inside looking up at falcon wingInside looking up at falcon wing -
7 / 18Elon Musk standing up in Model XElon Musk standing up in Model X. Image courtesy of Gigaom. -
8 / 18Elon Musk in front of the frunkElon Musk in front of the frunk -
9 / 18Close up of the front grill area of the Model XClose up of the front grill area of the Model X -
10 / 18Tesla logo on the Model XTesla logo on the Model X, courtesy of Katie Fehrenbacher, Gigaom -
11 / 18Front truck of the Model XFront truck of the Model X -
12 / 18Instead of mirrors the Model X prototype as rear-facing camerasInstead of mirrors the Model X prototype as rear-facing cameras, but these might not be final -
13 / 18Close up of the Model X prototype's rear-facing camerasClose up of the Model X prototype's rear-facing cameras -
14 / 18Rear of the Model X with trunk closedRear of the Model X with trunk closed -
15 / 18Model X rear and license plateModel X rear and license plate -
16 / 18Model XModel X -
17 / 18Model XModel X -
18 / 18Premiere of the Model X in Hawthorne, Calif.Premiere of the Model X in Hawthorne, Calif.



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