
Meet Model X - caio1982
http://www.teslamotors.com/modelx
======
DEinspanjer
Okay.. I'm a Model S owner and I love Tesla and I chuckled at the whole Insane
mode and gave a bit of an amused snort at Ludicrous mode.

This, however, really makes me wonder WTH is going on there:

HEPA Air Filters "There are three modes: circulate with outside air, re-
circulate inside air and a _bioweapon defense mode that creates positive
pressure inside the cabin to protect occupants_."

EDIT: Very fair points about driving by skunks or nasty smells. The naming is
what gets me though. If it was called Noxious Smell Defense Mode or something,
that would make perfect sense. Looking at Wikipedia, a "medical grade HEPA
filter" can filter out 99.97% of particles at least 0.3 micrometers in
diameter. Dunno if the Tesla filters are also using UV irradiation, and I also
couldn't find any documentation of the particulate size of skunk odor, so it
will be interesting to see documentation on what exactly it can filter out.

EDIT2: Watched a bit of the intro event video. Looks like it has a specific
set of activated charcoal filters for sulfur type particulates, so certainly
seems like it could be a skunk odor killer. :)

~~~
liotier
> bioweapon defense mode that creates positive pressure inside the cabin to
> protect occupants

Ever drove past a skunk corpse ? Only happened to me a few times when I
traveled in the USA - still have PTSD...

~~~
teekert
" To qualify as HEPA by US government standards, an air filter must remove
(from the air that passes through) 99.97% of particles that have a size of 0.3
µm."

That means bacteria (1-10 µm) and spores (~1 µm) but not virusses (~ 100 nm
+/\- a lot) and certainly not molecules emitted by a skunk corpse.

~~~
warfangle
Its activated charcoal filter has the primary layer, a secondary layer that
filters sulfur gases, and a tertiary layer that filters alkaline gases.

Skunk spray is made primarily of thiols and their acetate derivatives. Thiols
(the main ugly smelling ones are both thiols) are organosulfur compounds, and
would be filtered by the secondary chemical filter.

The gases that make the decaying corpse smell are acidic (AFAIK), so would be
filtered by the tertiary layer.

~~~
teekert
Ah, I didn't catch that, good comment.

------
di
> $132,000 for the P90D Signature and $142,000 for the P90D Founder edition
> [0]

[0]: [http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/30/tesla-model-x-electric-
su...](http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/30/tesla-model-x-electric-suv-luanch-
price/)

~~~
threeseed
That is pretty amazing pricing. Most premium families would be looking to the
Land Rover Evoque ($41K), BMW X5 ($54K) etc But Tesla is pricing it not to
compete with the baseline Porsche Cayenne ($58K) but around the Cayenne Turbo
S level ($157K). I guess they aren't planning on building a lot of them.

~~~
sz4kerto
> premium families

For a second I thought you are referring to 'premium family' as some kind of a
social category.

~~~
soccerdave
Of course he is, where I live in the US 142k could buy you a nice 1400 square
foot house.

~~~
lotu
I wish I could buy a nice 1400 square foot house where I live.

~~~
pjc50
In central London that buys you .. a garage.

~~~
reitoei
It wouldn't buy you a fifth of a garage:
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2813958/Tiny-shed-
pa...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2813958/Tiny-shed-patch-
scrubland-tucked-row-terraced-houses-sold-550-000-s-three-times-average-price-
home.html)

------
doczoidberg
Roughly estimated carbon production of manufacturing (I got these numbers from
a german discussion, one source for battery carbon production is:
[http://www.focus.de/auto/experten/duennes/oekobilanz-von-
ele...](http://www.focus.de/auto/experten/duennes/oekobilanz-von-elektroautos-
besser-als-benzin-oder-oekologisches-feigenblatt-so-sauber-ist-ein-
elektroauto-wirklich_id_4914399.html) ):

\------------------------------------------

VW Polo GTI: 2 tons

BMW M5: 2,5 tons

BMW I3: 4 tons

Tesla Modell X 13 tons

Manufacturing + 100.000km:

\--------------------------

BMW I3 -> 9,6 tons

VW Polo GTI -> 18,6 tons

Tesla Modell X -> 25,3 tons

BMW M5 -> 26,3 tons

Tesla isn't as green as many think. Building heavy cars isn't the solution.

Also the new infrastructure for superchargers does raise carbon production.

~~~
jedberg
It's not fair to compare the Model X to a Sedan. Do you have numbers for other
SUVs? Remember the idea here is that it's assumed you'll be buying a car
already.

Also, even if the total lifetime carbon was equal, it's still better to buy a
vehicle that produces all that carbon in localized places where it could
possibly be captured instead of all over crowded urban areas.

~~~
doczoidberg
I just want to mention some facts. EVs are interesting and the future for sure
but thinking EVs are the holy grail is just stupid.

[http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/hold-smugness-tesla-
might-...](http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/hold-smugness-tesla-might-just-
worse-environment-know/)

How do you can capture carbon?

~~~
jobead
I think what jedberg meant was that if you are producing the electricity at a
centralized place (like even a coal-fired power plant) you could theoretically
capture carbon using massive scrubbers on the exhaust towers. Developing
similar technology and installing it in all of the individual gas-burning cars
would be near impossible.

My 2c: The real "secret plan" here is that converting us to electric vehicles
paves the way to develop (and creates structural demand for) 0-emission ways
to recharge them, like:

\- resurgence of large nuclear plants

\- self-contained micro-nuclear reactors that you could bury in your yard

\- solar on your garage (paired with a Tesla Powerwall to recharge your car at
night)

~~~
doczoidberg
These 'scrubbers' and nuclear plants are already in my calculations of battery
manufacturing C02 production. Base of the CO2 production calculation is the
energy mix of germany. In the US it would be even higher(?).

Source is an independent german energy research institute btw.

------
kemiller
I look at all the little motors in those doors, and other robotic gadgets, and
just see reliability issues. Their 8-year warranty on the drivetrain is great,
but you are still stuck if the rest of the car doesn't work. I guess it's a
fact of life now that cars, especially high-end cars, are not really built for
more than two lease-lengths now. So how much embodied energy does that
represent? Has anyone seen a full-lifecycle analysis of Tesla cars? Probably
no worse than other luxury cars, but still.

~~~
codeulike
Rest of the car has a 4 year warranty that can be extended to 8 years (at
least thats how it works on the Model S)

------
leephillips
"Model X is the safest, fastest and most capable sport utility vehicle in
history."

From any other company I would roll my eyes at the ridiculous hyperbole. Here,
it's probably just a statement of fact.

~~~
dagw
Safest and fastest seem possible, but I'm rather doubting its off road
capabilities. Unless of course being capable of driving off road isn't
something we expect from an SUV these days.

~~~
threeseed
You can tell from the photos you won't be taking this off road.

It's more akin to a people mover with the 7 seat option and the ground
clearance being limited. If you look at the most popular SUVs i.e. BMW X3/5,
Mercedes M, Land Rover they have a lineage in proper 4WDs.

But let's be honest almost nobody who drives an SUV actually takes it off
road.

~~~
nmrm2
Right. SUVs in this category are going after the need-a-van-but-want-a-
sportcar market.

~~~
bengoodger
The irony is that a van will often handle better than a SUV with a car based
platform and a lower center of gravity.

My wife has a BMW X5 and it drives like a piece of industrial farm equipment.
We also own a Honda Odyssey which IMO handles significantly better - it's
basically an Accord with a taller roof.

------
unfamiliar
Those jeering idiots in the audience are so cringe-y. There is no need to
cheer at literally everything Musk says. For example, showing you can get into
the car is something I would expect.

~~~
MichaelGG
Funniest part was when he talks about creating a new ultrasonic sensor that
works through metal -- silence. You can see Elon sorta motion as in "hey...
this was a bigger accomplishment than the seat design" but no one really
catches on.

Reminds me of the Apple launch event for ApplePay where the presenter showed
the current "bad" way of paying with cards. The crowd went wild and he sorta
looked at them like "uh, that was the bad scenario... don't clap."

~~~
unfamiliar
I think the people were clapping because they agreed that it was an annoying
way to pay.

[https://youtu.be/0pmwR1SrK-Q?t=2648](https://youtu.be/0pmwR1SrK-Q?t=2648)

------
carlob
[http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/ee4d25fc09c13298fde2d6...](http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/ee4d25fc09c13298fde2d68e881513fa/202724231/modex.gif)

I'm glad this is a car that Russ would like.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJIAOosI6js](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJIAOosI6js)

------
smrtinsert
Doors that open like THIS - not like this!

~~~
LeonM
I see what you did there ;)

------
bluedino
>> 5,000lb towing capacity

Curious as to what happens to the range when you're towing a pair of jetskis.

~~~
comboy
Ski resorts already need access to some heavy electricity (ski lifts), I
wouldn't be surprised if they would start offering chargers for electric cars
in the near future.

~~~
jessaustin
Umm, jetskis aren't really for use at ski resorts.

~~~
talmand
Says you, they make decent bobsleds with enough powder on the ground.

------
poopbutt
Cool as this is, the only thing that sketches me out is the "automatic
braking" feature. If I go to avoid something and it slams on the brakes, isn't
that going to totally change my trajectory possibly causing an accident? Or a
false positive causing heavy braking which someone could be surprised by and
overcorrect for causing an accident?

~~~
irl_zebra
My Volvo does this. Not sure if it's the same thing, but stops you if you're
about to collide with something. I've never experienced it (as I've never yet
needed the feature), but have heard good things. Here's a really impressive
video of it in action on a semi-truck:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ridS396W2BY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ridS396W2BY)

Counterpoint (with the model I have, unfortunately):

[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/self-braking-volvo-
fai...](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/self-braking-volvo-fails-test-
drive-slams-onlookers-article-1.2238171)

~~~
curiousphil
Volvo claimed that the driver hadn't paid for the pedestrian detection upgrade
which costs an extra $3,000. That said, it seems like a feature that shouldn't
be confusing as to whether your car has it or not. But then again, its not a
feature that non-professionals should be testing/showing off on living
beings...

~~~
Too
That video has been shown many so times and debunked equally many times. If
you know how it looks like, it's obvious from the video that the car does not
have the system installed, you should be able to see a small plastic box-like
shape embedded in the grill which is one of the sensors, they blend in but if
you know what to look for you do see them easily.

Whether installed or not, testing a safety-net feature like this qualifies for
darwin awards.

------
deanCommie
What happened at the start of the presentation when Musk was just about to
start talking about safety features when suddenly, quietly, and slowly, a
Model X drove up onto the stage. A random guy stepped out, left the door open,
and handed Musk the keys.

Musk: "..Right, so about those safety features."

Did the guy go up to early? Or was he late? Or was that planned? So
confused...

------
hmate9
The 'bioweapon defense mode' is great naming. Gets fantastic PR and consumers
know that Tesla's air is market leader.

When was the last time that a car's air filtering for so much good PR and
became a unique selling point?

------
caio1982
I love the falcon wing doors but what about when it's raining? That might be a
stupid question but...

~~~
anon4
also what about when someone parks too close to you? Malls, for instance, put
parking spaces tightly next to each other, so either you park like an asshole
diagonally across two of them, or run the risk of someone else parking just a
little bit too close to you and then your doors can't open, whereas in a
standard vehicle, you'd be able to squeeze in. They should have made them
slide laterally like on a minivan.

~~~
myth_buster
The site says the minimum distance required is about a foot which is
reasonable given that the protruding rear view mirrors would be close to half
of that.

~~~
lsaferite
I certainly cannot get out of either of my cars with just 12 inches of space.
The door thickness alone in around 6 inches. No way is my body squeezing
through a 6 inch opening in anything short of an emergency and it's very
unlikely even then.

------
thecrumb
If it's an "SUV" where do I strap my kayak and bike?

Mercedes did it better in 1955.

~~~
josefresco
It can tow 5000 pounds - maybe stick the kayak on a small trailer? Or, if you
can afford a Model X, buy a used Subaru just for your kayak.

~~~
ghaff
Trailers are a real pain to deal with. A lot of SUVs really aren't but this is
an extreme case. I find it a bit ridiculous to call a vehicle an "SUV" if you
can't put a roof-rack on.

~~~
coldpie
Eh, SUVs are the new minivan and everyone knows it. If you really want to
strap a kayak to the top, buy a car with a roof rack regardless of what it's
called.

------
chuckcode
All it takes is a billionaire genius with twin kids and a car company to
finally engineer a real solution to the hassle of having room to put kids in
the car seats.

I sure hope some of these ideas come in a slightly more affordable version.
Amazing how many of the innovations are just everyday things like crash
safety, air quality, blind holster your phone, trailer hitch that doesn't
suck, and easier to get kids in their car seats - yet they have me drooling as
even after 100+ years of mass auto production there are so many daily
frustrations with cars.

~~~
josefresco
In all seriousness, how does the Model X improve buckling your kids over a
sliding minivan door? Never had trouble with this, I've owned a car, truck,
SUV and minivan with young kids.

Biggest headache? The kids buckling themselves. The seatbelt always locks
(they pull too fast), the buckles get smushed into the seat bench, and before
you know it I have exited the car, just to help them put it altogether.

~~~
jobead
Out of curiosity, how tall are you? I think he said a big part of the problem
with minivans is that you can hit your head on the roof while trying to lean
in to snap the buckles. With the falcon wing doors, the roof flips up too.
Obviously if you are blessed to be average height, that may not be a problem
for you.

As a tall person, I am excited that Elon is tall and getting them to consider
the problems of not being average height =)

~~~
josefresco
73 inches - owned a 2006 Honda Odyssey, don't remember bashing my head ...or
maybe I did and can't remember because of said bashing.

Most everything in my world was designed for someone 3-4 inches shorter than
I. I kid with my wife if I ever build my own house (post kids), everything
will be taller.

------
vasilipupkin
I am confused by the fancy doors. The driver door seems to open as usual, no?
Doesn't that mean that in a tight space I am no better off than with a regular
door ?

------
chillydawg
How is that an SUV?

~~~
coldpie
"SUV" doesn't mean anything specific. Look around you on the road: SUVs are
the new minivans. People buying new cars today grew up in minivans, and the
last thing you want to drive is the thing your mom drove. Give it another 20
years and I bet we see the minivan come back in style as kids growing up with
SUVs now think of them as the soccer-mom-mobiles that they are.

~~~
stan_rogers
It is a marketing term that means "we're going to sell you something you'll
probably think of as a big car, but which only has to meet light truck
standards". There was a time when something like a Jimmy or a Bronco was
distinctly downmarket and likely to have utilitarian rubber floor mats rather
than carpeting. (Yes, there were some "gentlemanly" vehicles in the general
class, like the Range Rover and the Wagoneer, but most were all business.)
CAFE regulations didn't include trucks, so we were sold trucks instead of
cars. Now people want trucks that look like cars from the inside.

------
rsync
The first thing I notice is the seats.

The same very, very unadjustable, very sparse seats that the model S has. I
won't provide reference [1][2][3]'s here, but there are absolutely much, much
better seats with many more adjustments available in the lower end 3 series /
A4 / C class cars ... and this is a car with a 6 figure price tag.

The seats. I have never understood the seats in the model S (and now X).

edit: OK, so another thing ... the stick-on spoiler has always annoyed me on
the model S. Very cheap and lame. I see that the new Model X has a retractable
spoiler ... when will that arrive on the Model S ?

------
brianstorms
Model S owner here. Love the new X but two things disappoint, in terms of
design: the new front-end is ugly, especially the white version of the car.
And the long straight wire that runs from the top of the car to the auto-pilot
hardware and rear-view mirror, planted in the middle of the windshield's sea
of glass, is hideous. I can't believe Elon let that slide. Jobs would never in
a million years have allowed that stupid wire to obstruct the view. Worst
case, hair-thin electric conductors embedded in the glass, something. But that
wire's got to go.

------
kirk21
Really like the car. Just a tad concerned that the huge front window will
break/shatter a lot if you hit some debree (or there is just a lot of junk on
the roads where I live).

------
aerovistae
I'm mostly wondering if you can open the falcon doors by hand or if it has to
be done by computer. Seems kind of slow to me. Not to mention emergency
situations.

------
HorizonXP
If I had a family, and disposable income, this would definitely be my vehicle
of choice. That said, I liked this bit: "There are three modes: circulate with
outside air, re-circulate inside air and a bioweapon defense mode that creates
positive pressure inside the cabin to protect occupants."

Funny regardless, but insane if true.

~~~
dingaling
Warships and armoured vehicles have used internal overpressure since the
1950s, it's a basic aspect of NBC defence. And it was one of the reasons NATO
warships were so sparsely equipped with portholes, no point having
overpressure if Seaman Jones can leave a window open.

Anyway, it really shows to me what a completely pointless vehicle this is. Yes
it's a technical tour-de-force, but it does nothing to move EV adoption
forward. The people buying it will primarily be existing Tesla or Cayenne
Turbo owners, not lower-middle-class wage-commuters who produce our daily
pollution. Only slightly more useful than car-show concept vehicles in that
regard.

If Tesla were to attack the low-end, where the majority of car sales occur,
then I'd pay attention. But the proft margins are razor-thin there. Low-end
being Fiesta / Polo territory, looks like we'll have to wait for the Chinese
manufacturers to move in there.

~~~
outworlder
> If Tesla were to attack the low-end, where the majority of car sales occur,
> then I'd pay attention.

Then you are not paying attention. Tesla strategy is to start at the top, with
higher margins and lower volumes (meaning lower costs) and gradually move
down. According to Musk the Model 3 will be available next year and cost $35k.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Not sure they can deliver. Their house-battery product was relatively cheap.
But it was also ill-conceived and impractical. Largely because of capacity. It
was more of a UPS than a house-power-plant, because of the extremely limited
time it could run the whole house.

Consider: a large fraction of the Tesla car cost is the battery and associated
systems. There's a minimum range that's considered acceptable, and even their
current models barely achieve that. Using smaller/cheaper batteries to make
the car cheaper will violate the minimum-range requirement. No-win here, so
far.

~~~
outworlder
Perhaps, but both the Model S and the Model X are very heavy cars. I guess
there are possible savings there.

------
746F7475
Man, this looks awesome as fuck, if only I had money for something like this

------
pookeh
I don't think I can open those falcon doors when parked inside my garage.
Which is a pity because it is damn cold in Canada half the year.

~~~
dangrossman
The doors actuate on two hinges and have sonar to detect both horizontal and
vertical clearance during all movements. They will adapt to both low ceilings
and low side clearances, and need only about a foot of space on either side of
your car to open. In the video, Musk talks about garages with small ceilings
and then shows a video of the doors opening in one. If there's enough space
for you to pull in and get out of your car now, there's almost surely enough
space to open the doors in this one too.

~~~
dexterdog
I wonder how they adapt to having snow on the roof.

~~~
matthewowen
Are you driving your car with a large mass of snow on the roof? Please don't,
it's dangerous.

~~~
dexterdog
I don't, but I see many people who do.

------
filvdg
I thought SUV's had larger rims than standard cars, they look the same as the
model S , Any information available?

~~~
pconner
The Model S already has unusually large wheels for a sedan

------
philwelch
I guess Tesla isn't going to get around to making a car that normal people can
afford anytime soon, then.

~~~
typon
They already announced it. It's called the Model 3.

From Elon Musk's Twitter: @elonmusk $35k price, unveil in March, preorders
start then.

~~~
philwelch
35k is not something normal people can afford.

~~~
bluthru
The average new car price is $33,560:

[http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/05/04/new-
car-...](http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/05/04/new-car-
transaction-price-3-kbb-kelley-blue-book/26690191/)

$35,000 should be a pretty great deal for an above-average car that uses
inexpensive fuel and requires little maintenance.

~~~
philwelch
Normal people don't all buy new cars, and they don't buy the average new car.
They either buy used or they buy an entry-level new car, say in the 25k range
at most. You can get a freaking Audi for 35k. Audis are not entry-level cars
for normal people, they are luxury cars.

------
bryanlarsen
Are there any advantages to the gullwing doors compared to sliding doors other
than "sliding doors aren't cool"? They say "minivan style sliding doors open
at most halfway", but there are plenty of minivan doors that open quite wide.

~~~
lenomad
It should give more clearence for getting into the car; and better access to
the third row

~~~
bryanlarsen
Looking at the video, it's quite clear that accessing the third row of a full
size minivan is quite a bit easier than accessing the third row of a Model X.

------
mrfusion
What is the pricing? Also does anyone know what the gross weight is?

------
doczoidberg
Can anyone explain me why Tesla as a silicon valley company is lagging behind
in autonomus driving? BMW, Daimler and many more have already working things
in much cheaper cars.

Edit: can't understand the down voting. Criticizing Tesla isn't endorsed here?

~~~
eclipxe
Explain how they're lagging? They have v7 of the software in beta testers
hands and the auto pilot features are a step above all other manufacturers.

~~~
doczoidberg
As i mentioned there are many car makers which have these things since years.
And they are much cheaper. Just look at the websites what you can buy from
BMW, Daimler etc.

~~~
outworlder
Because they also have cars for much longer too?

Tesla had (and has) to solve a difficult problem. The manufacturers you
mention are all using standard internal combustion engines. Is it surprising
that the can focus their attention elsewhere?

~~~
doczoidberg
I think autonomous driving is first priority for Tesla. So I wonder.

------
plg
price? what is the price? how come they don't have the price on the web page?
is it secret? is it "if you have to ask ..."?

------
Aqueous
Now those are the doors of a billionaire.

~~~
ebbv
Does it come with a free bottle of Tres Commas?

------
modello_equis
Pretty cool station wagon.

------
kelvin0
Tony Stark strikes again! Worth noting that no emission 'issues' are expected
...

------
ashwn
how tall/wide does your garage have to be?

~~~
snogglethorpe
That's the thing that first came to mind when I saw the pics of those doors
opening... sure they look cool, and probably work ok if you're outside away
from anything, but seems like there are plenty of situations in which they
just wouldn't have the space to open enough to allow exiting (at least without
crawling on the ground).

Examples might be a small garage or a parking space hemmed in by other
vehicles.

Sliding doors take almost no extra space to open fully, and even normal swing
doors can be used when partially open (the exact degree of course depends on
how skinny you are...).

~~~
dangrossman
The video shows it opening when parked so closely to two vehicles that a
person can barely squeeze through, and when parked in a garage with a low
ceiling. One of the cars they parked it next to is a minivan with sliding
doors, which you couldn't get into when open, while you could get into the X.
As Elon puts it, paraphrasing, "this is the best aperture possible".

------
frandroid
Gull-wing doors!!

------
cpr
Great, bioweapon defense mode so the Masters of the Universe can all hop in
their cars and safely leave a big city under bioweapons attack, while the rest
of us lie gasping on the sidewalk...

~~~
Taek
Bioweapon defense mode in luxury vehicles is the first step towards bioweapon
defense mode in commodity vehicles.

Also, it's really for polluted cities, skunks, and driving past freshly
fertilized farms. I don't think anyone expects to active bwdm for an actual
bioweapon threat.

------
linkydinkandyou
Now _everyone_ will have gull-wing doors.

------
alexnaicu
fugly

------
wehadfun
shutupandtakemymoney

------
mixedbit
Seven seats car seems to address a very small niche.

~~~
giarc
Most SUVs are seven seaters. Even most minivan's are now 7 seater.

~~~
ghaff
"Most" is a bit of an overstatement. (Fortunately) many SUVs still don't have
third-row seating. To be honest, I find the shift from minivans--which do a
much better job of seating a bunch of people--to SUVs that consume a lot of
interior space with seats a bit unfortunate.

~~~
giarc
"Most" as in the direct competition to the Model X. Yes, some manufacturers
have large 8 seaters (Yukon, QX56, Pilot, Sequoia) but those are all massive
vehicles and I don't think the Model X is competing with those. I think the
competition is the smaller SUVs such as the Q7, SRX, MDX,GX, X5, GL550, and
XC90, all of which are 7 seaters.

------
hacker_9
Sweet if I start saving now I'll be able to afford one in 10 years!

------
6stringmerc
I can't wait to see how well they do in the Paris-Dakar Rally, because of
course they'll back up all their hype by going out and handily beating the
competition, just like the Tesla Model S completely dominated Touring Car
racing and showed the GT class at Le Mans what innovation is all about. /s

~~~
skoocda
Not exactly the intended use case, though, is it? Do you expect your mother to
play NFL football? No? Not everything is built to compete.

~~~
6stringmerc
What I'm talking about is the long-running automotive tradition - a useful one
- of subjecting an automobile to competition by which to identify weaknesses,
opportunities for improvement, and publicly showing that the vehicle is
capable of rising above every-day use scenarios through its engineering
prowess.

Using your logic, why is Aston Martin in GT / ALMS racing? Why is Mercedes
Benz in F1 racing? Why is Volkswagen in off-road racing?

The list goes on and on and on. The only time Tesla has gotten to a podium is
because Elon Musk paid for it to be there for the press. I suppose it makes
sense not to take Tesla endurance racing, because it'd be embarassing.

------
FilterSweep
So with the falcon wing doors you couldn't open up passenger seats in your
standard garage. I'd suspect people who could afford this wouldn't have a
standard garage anyways though.

~~~
ygra
A standard garage seems to have quite a bit over two meters in height, which
should be enough to open the doors. They also have sensors and adapt both
hinges to obstacles next to and above the car.

