Next Gen Tesla Sportscar

[graham]

It apparently will not be a Roadster:

Next Tesla sportscar to have back seat, AWD, rear seats and storage

With that in mind, perhaps it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Musk has plans to make the next sportscar from Tesla a much more practical vehicle. That reportedly includes the addition of rear seats, plenty of storage space and possibly even all-wheel drive. All of this means that it will definitely not be based on the underpinnings of the Lotus Elise, as is the case with the current Roadster. Instead, the next Tesla sportscar will share its guts with the automaker's planned Model S, which will allow for "greater functionality with avant garde, aggressive" styling. Perfect

[stopcrazypp]

It apparently will not be a Roadster:

Next Tesla sportscar to have back seat, AWD, rear seats and storage

I was expecting Tesla to head in this direction if they make another sports car. Even with the Roadster, they were not trying to go for a full bore track car, even though they went with a Lotus base. A lot of the market for sports cars seem to go for cars that are a lot more practical and comfortable.

[SByer]

Yes, I count myself lucky to have one of the real sports cars. Seats in back does not a real sports car make. The 911 was just too darned big, heavy. Ok, so maybe an electric 2+2 wouldn't be slow, but it would really be too bad if they dropped having a nice, small car.

[doug]

This is just following from earlier Model S announcements. Their intention is to design the Model S chassis so that they can reuse it with "different hats". An SUV and a sports car have been mentioned in the past. But that Model S chassis is pretty big, so I wouldn't expect the sports car based on that to be a roadster. Hopefully they'll still find a way to make Roadsters, though, and integrate in the liquid cooled motor.

[Cobos]

Is it possible this is the same car as the Model S sport they have talked about earlier? They talked about a Model S with upgraded something to push accel down below 5s. Or what exactly defines a sports car ?

Cobos

[stopcrazypp]

Perhaps sports car isn't the best description, it going to be closer to a sports coupe or grand tourer: probably something like a 6 series or the new E class coupe.

[dpeilow]

The Next Tesla Roadster Will Be A "Roomier Porsche"

[AnOutsider]

I'm OK with that... They should focus on cars from now on that follow their own in-house design style and which are practical. It's no secret I find the roadster ugly, and seating two adults in it is fine if you want to ride arm-in-arm

[malcolm]

Meh

Put this on the back-burner where it belongs. There are more important things to be doing.

[dpeilow]

It looks like that is just where it is:

More Details on Tesla, Daimler EV Collaboration and the Future Roadster - AllCarsElectric.com

As for the future of the Roadster, which we reported on earlier this week, Musk said that the vehicle is not currently being worked on, and won't likely see production until 2013. He envisions the car as a 2+2 with enough rear legroom to comfortably transport two five and a half foot passengers. The car will have ample trunk space and be available in hardtop and convertible varieties. Customers will be able to choose between rear-wheel and all-wheel drive.

With 2+2 seating and a hardtop version, it's not really a roadster at all, is it? I'm surprised by the number of car sites that have reported it as such. IMHO there's room in the range for both.