Tesla has been steadily moving forward with efforts on its Model S sedan, recently detailing the car’s road testing “Alpha” build. Over the past two years the company has gotten major injections of funding from private investors, Department of Energy loan guarantees and a recent Initial Public Offering.
The funding has helped secure the former Toyota-General Motors joint NUMMI factory in Freemont, California, as well as the continued development of the Model S. Tesla’s plan has always been to start at the top with a roadster and successively roll-out more inexpensive vehicles.
The Model S sedan is the second model in this plan. However, in addition to a future in the $25,000 model range, the Model S has been said to spawn other variants. The Los Angeles Times reports that will include a crossover.
With the continued success of crossovers for their space and utility, it is a segment Tesla can’t ignore if it hopes to become a full-fledged automaker.
The report says the company has begun preliminary planning for a small SUV that would go on sale in 2014. It would be small in size (presumably to help aerodynamics and weight, issues that effect range) but would offer much larger interior space due to electric drive components.
This is one of the benefits of an electric vehicle, as the Model S has displayed. Hybrid models, on the other hand, offer less interior space due to the dual components. For now, the Model S is the focus but in a cutthroat industry Tesla can’t start planning for new models soon enough.
