Orange Tesla Roadster - 2010 'Model S' Electric 4-Door Luxury Sedan

California's Silicon Valley got some excellent news on September 17, 2008 when Tesla Motors announced that they would be constructing a $250 million manufacturing facility in San Jose, California, to produce a completely new 4-door 'Model S' electric luxury sedan.

Tesla Motors will build both a production facility and an R&D centre in San Jose for the 5-passenger 'Model S' with the first production version of the luxury sedan expected to go on sale by the end of 2010. The estimated base price for the 'Model S' has been set at $60,000 USD. It will be a 100% electric vehicle and be powered by lithium-ion batteries with a designed 220 mile range on a full charge. Tesla Motors' production facility for the Tesla Roadster is located at Group Lotus PLC's factory in Hethel in the United Kingdom. The Tesla Roadster is a fully electric supercar that can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.0 seconds, produces zero emissions, and can be driven about 390 km (244 miles) on a full charge. 

We spoke with Tesla representatives in Paris, France this month at the Paris Auto Show (Paris Mondial De L'Automobile 2008), and we took some photos of the 2009 Tesla Roadster in the new orange colour (see photo). It's really a head-turning colour and could even end up being called 'Tesla Orange' if it proves successful for the company. Tesla Motors indicated that to date, they have delivered over 30 Roadsters to worldwide customers, and they have had an ever-expanding order book with 1200 deposits having been placed on future Roadster deliveries.