2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5

The Tesla Roadster 2.5 features improvements in design and technology, including a new front fascia, rear diffuser, improved seat comfort, sound dampening and an optional large touch screen navigation system with back-up camera. Improved interior sound reduction techniques, including new front fender liner material, make the cabin even quieter.

2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5

The Festival of Speed is the world’s largest motoring garden party – a unique weekend that brings together a heady mix of cars, stars and motor sport ‘royalty’ to create the largest car culture festival worldwide. Held in the immaculate grounds of Goodwood House, this annual hill-climb extravaganza celebrates all things automotive.

2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5 Interior

‘Goodwood is one of the most beloved motoring events in the world and a highlight of the English summer – so it’s only appropriate that this iconic celebration will be the public launch of the latest Roadster,’ said Cristiano Carlutti, Tesla’s Vice President of European Operations.

12►

This one-of-a-kind collector’s car includes a unique interior by Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, incorporating TAG Heuer avant-garde design elements and a specially designed center console due to host TAG Heuer’s cutting edge concept watch.

This car also features a TAG Heuer Meridiist mobile phone as well as a one-fifth second Heuer Limited Edition Stopwatch. This Swiss-made timepiece with mechanical movement pays tribute to the 1860 founding of the company and evoques the mythic revival of the brand’s vintage stopwatches.

The car’s exterior color scheme is Foucault Field Gray, embodying the innovative spirit of both companies. The design was inspired by the new TAG Heuer concept watch, a technical milestone in mechanical movements, which brings technologically advanced art to life through motion.

Relentless focus on technological innovation

Since its founding in an artisan’s workshop in the Swiss Jura, TAG Heuer has become one of the world’s best-known luxury brands — maker of avant-garde watches, eyewear and premium mobile phones for refined consumers around the globe.

TAG Heuer, a star brand from the luxury group and worldwide leader Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), also has deep roots in the automotive sector. Company founder Edouard Heuer received in 1911 the patent for The Time of Trip, the first car dashboard chronograph, followed in 1933 by the Autavia — the first dashboard timekeeper for both automobiles and aviation. The benchmark in cutting-edge chronographs and timekeeping technology since 1860, TAG Heuer is the watch brand that can claim the longest and strongest association with motor sports and dream cars. Both watches and chronographs are inspired and driven by motor sports, from Formula One to GT cars.

“TAG Heuer has a rich history and expertise with the world’s most prestigious racing teams — but this is the first ever partnership we’ve forged with an electric sports car company,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, President and CEO of TAG Heuer. “We believe that high-performance drivers are increasingly searching for products that are efficient, socially responsible and stylish. TAG Heuer and Tesla are two of the few companies arleady achieving these ideals today.”

Tesla Motors began developing an electric sports car in 2004 and remains the only automaker selling highway-capable electric cars. The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than nearly any other supercar yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius – the only car that delivers supercar performance guilt-free, with zero tailpipe emissions and a carbon footprint dramatically lower than any comparable sports car.

Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Tesla has delivered more than 1,000 cars to consumers in 21 countries. Advertising Age magazine recently named Tesla one of America’s “hottest brands.” The Tesla Roadster is quickly becoming the must-have car among Hollywood celebrities, European royalty and socially responsible trendsetters worldwide.

Tesla Motors has announced production of the right-hand-drive version of its iconic Tesla Roadster sports car, the only highway-capable electric vehicle for sale worldwide. Prospective customers and media may test-drive right-hand-drive cars available at Tesla’s showroom, 49-51 Cheval Place in London’s Knightsbridge district (SW7 1EW). The 2010 Tesla Roadster UK-Version includes a suite of unique noise-reduction materials, an upgraded sound system and other enhancements that make it ideal for daily commuting or weekend drives. The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than virtually any other car on the road, making it the only production car faster than a Porsche and twice as energy efficient as a Prius. It is quickly becoming the choice amongst discerning drivers who demand performance with a clean conscience. The Tesla Roadster easily travels more than 200 miles per charge in mixed driving conditions, consumes no petroleum and plugs into conventional 220-volt sockets throughout Europe. It can be fully or partially recharged by solar or wind power. A customer’s Tesla Roadster recently set a world distance record for EVs with 313 miles on a single charge. “The right-hand-drive model is our response to growing demand from high-performance car buyers in the UK who are also interested in their impact on the environment,” said Cristiano Carlutti, Tesla’s Vice President for European Sales and Operations. “Tesla is dramatically expanding its retail footprint in Europe, we look forward to building our community of owners and fans throughout the continent.” UK companies that purchase a Tesla Roadster benefit from a 100 percent Writing Down Allowance, meaning they can deduct the price of the car from their taxable profits. The Tesla Roadster is the only sports car that has ever qualified for a such a tax incentive in the UK. The Tesla Roadster starts at £86,950 and costs about 1.5p per mile, compared to as much as 32p per mile for petro-powered sports cars. Tesla Roadster drivers are do not have to pay the London congestion charge, saving up to nearly £1,700 annually. They can park for free and without time limits in various London boroughs, they get four hours of free charging at certain parking sites, and they are exempt from the forthcoming Showroom Tax of £950.

Tesla Motors was incorporated in the summer of 2003. At that time, “Tesla Motors, Inc.” consisted of Eberhard, Tarpenning and Wright, and an unfunded business plan. The men were looking for an initial round of funding to create a more advanced prototype than the AC Propulsion Tzero concept car. Tesla hadn’t registered or obtained the trademark to its name and had no formal offices or assets.

The initial, Series A investment round of USD$7.5 million was led by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk in April 2004 and included Compass Technology Partners as well as many private investors. Musk, a South African-born entrepreneur, became Tesla’s Chairman of the Board and in February 2005, led Tesla Motors’ second, USD$13 million Series B investment round which added Valor Equity Partners to the funding team. Musk co-led the third, USD$40 million Series C round in May 2006 along with VantagePoint Venture Partners. Tesla’s third round included investment from prominent entrepreneurs including Google co-founders Sergey Brin & Larry Page, former eBay President Jeff Skoll, Hyatt heir Nick Pritzker and added the VC firms Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Capricorn Management and The Bay Area Equity Fund managed by JPMorgan Chase.

The fourth, Series D round in May 2007 added another USD$45 million and brought the total investments to over $105 million USD through private financing. The fifth, Series E round in February 2008 added another USD$40 million. Musk, who was President of PayPal before it was bought by eBay, has contributed $70 million of his own money to the company. By January 2009, Tesla had raised USD$187 million and delivered 147 cars.

In August 2007, Martin Eberhard was replaced by an interim CEO, Michael Marks. In December 2007, Ze’ev Drori became the permanent CEO and President of Tesla Motors. In January 2008, Tesla Motors fired several key personnel who had been involved from the inception after a performance review by the new CEO. According to Musk, Tesla was forced to reduce the company workforce by about 10 percent to lower its burn rate, which was out of control in 2007. In October 2008, Musk succeeded Ze’ev Drori as CEO. Drori became Vice Chairman and remained on the Board of Directors.

On May 19, 2009, Germany’s Daimler AG, maker of Mercedes, acquired an equity stake of less than 10 percent of Tesla for a reported $50 million. The investment deepened the relationship between the inventor of the automobile and the newest member of the global auto industry. As part of the collaboration, Prof. Herbert Kohler, Vice President E-Drive and Future Mobility at Daimler AG, took a seat on Tesla’s board of directors. In July, Daimler announced that Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments bought 40 percent of Daimler’s interest in Tesla.

In June 2009 Tesla was approved to receive $465 million in interest-bearing loans from the United States Department of Energy. The funding, part of an $8 billion program for advanced vehicle technologies (Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program), supports engineering and production of the Model S sedan, as well as the development of powertrain technology that Tesla plans to sell to other automakers. The low-interest loans are not related to the “bailout” funds that GM and Chrysler have received, nor are they related to the 2009 economic stimulus package. The Department of Energy loan program was created in 2007 during the George Bush administration in order to get more fuel-efficient vehicle options to U.S. consumers and to decrease the country’s dependence on foreign oil.

The company announced in early August 2009 that it had achieved overall corporate profitability for the month of July 2009. The company said it earned approximately $1 million on revenue of $20 million. Profitability arose primarily from improved gross margin on the Roadster 2, the second iteration of Tesla’s award-winning sports car. Tesla, which like all automakers records revenue when products are delivered, shipped a record 109 vehicles in July and reported a surge in new Roadster purchases.