Today Tesla Motors began accepting pre-orders of the 2008 year model Roadster through their website. There are two options for pre-payment. The "premium buyers" who pay $50,000 up front will get the first cars in 2008 with delivery estimated to begin in February of that year. The "patient buyers" who pay $30,000 up front should get their cars on or before the fourth quarter of 2008.
For the first time we can see the official base price of a Tesla Roadster: $92,000
Also for the first time, we are given a breakdown of the available options and the cost of each:
It appears you can change your mind about any of those options right up until they are ready to begin assembling your car, which would be about three months before the delivery date.
The $8,000 surcharge for buying a Roadster outside of the established services areas is still with us, unfortunately.
Some questions that come to my mind are. . .
Paint colors. . . I'm still wondering why solid Jet Black is considered a premium option costing $1,000 while the other two solid colors (Fusion Red and Racing Green) are no charge.
Why is the two-tone interior so expensive? There's obviously more to it than simply choosing two colors and tossing in a pair of floor mats. Some better explanation of exactly what we're getting would be welcome.
Why no Sirius satellite radio option? Most of the people I've talked with prefer Sirius. I like the idea of satellite radio. However, MP3 disc playback and iPod integration are both standard features, so I'm not sure if I want to pay an additional $400 for a satellite service other than the one I really wanted.
I am conflicted on the seven-speaker sound system. I'm sure it'll sound great -- but it'll add weight to the car, and I'm not sure how they'll fit all those speakers (including a subwoofer) into the car's tiny cabin. I'm afraid some compromises may be required.
For the first time we can see the official base price of a Tesla Roadster: $92,000
Also for the first time, we are given a breakdown of the available options and the cost of each:
- Two-tone premium interior, $1,800
- Bluetooth cellular phone integration, $100
- XM Satellite radio with 170 channels of digital sound, $400
- Seven-speaker premium sound system tuned for Tesla Roadster cockpit, $800
- Touch-screen navigation system with voice guidance, $1,200
- Matching body-colored carbon fiber hardtop with full headliner, $3,200
- Tesla Motors custom floor mats (included with premium interior), $125
- Mobile charging system, $350
- Metallic paint color, $500
- Premium paint color, $1,000
It appears you can change your mind about any of those options right up until they are ready to begin assembling your car, which would be about three months before the delivery date.
The $8,000 surcharge for buying a Roadster outside of the established services areas is still with us, unfortunately.
Some questions that come to my mind are. . .
Paint colors. . . I'm still wondering why solid Jet Black is considered a premium option costing $1,000 while the other two solid colors (Fusion Red and Racing Green) are no charge.
Why is the two-tone interior so expensive? There's obviously more to it than simply choosing two colors and tossing in a pair of floor mats. Some better explanation of exactly what we're getting would be welcome.
Why no Sirius satellite radio option? Most of the people I've talked with prefer Sirius. I like the idea of satellite radio. However, MP3 disc playback and iPod integration are both standard features, so I'm not sure if I want to pay an additional $400 for a satellite service other than the one I really wanted.
I am conflicted on the seven-speaker sound system. I'm sure it'll sound great -- but it'll add weight to the car, and I'm not sure how they'll fit all those speakers (including a subwoofer) into the car's tiny cabin. I'm afraid some compromises may be required.
