Tesla delivered the long awaited Model X to six select individuals this week and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google and an early investor in Tesla Motors Inc., received the fourth according to a report by Bloomberg. Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, handed the keys to the first Model X SUVs at a launch event in Fremont, California, where the factory is located.
Brin is the president of parent company Alphabet, and has been keeping busy with Google’s driverless car program. He is also a Model S owner and a friend of Musk’s.
The first Model X’s are limited-edition Founders Series that typically go to board members and close friends of the company. Those are followed by the fully loaded Signature Series models, which require a $40,000 deposit from customers and start at $132,000. A lower-priced base Model X will be released at a later date.
Musk kept the first Model X, the second went to venture capitalist and Tesla investor Steve Jurvetson.
The delayed Model X is a four-door SUV that uses the power unit and drive system common to the Tesla Model S, and comes with a price tag of $132,000 for the Signature Series shown at the launch. The Model X is fitted with a 90-kilowatt battery pack and has a range of 257 miles. Power is sent to all four wheels and accomplishes zero to sixty miles-per-hour in 4.8 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited at 155 mph.
The two front doors of the Model X open like regular car doors, but the back doors are “falcon wing” doors that are double-hinged and only need a foot of space to open. Smart sensors in the door and roof detect obstacles, which help prevent dings and scratches.
It has been reported that preorders for the new Model X are in the neighborhood of 25,000. A $5,000 deposit is required with order or one could pony-up $40,000 for a Signature Series and be moved to the front of the line for early delivery of the first production all-electric SUV from Tesla.
