CIAS 2016 Preview: Tesla Takes On Toronto with Model X

Photo Credit: Tesla Motors

Tesla Motors has repeatedly beaten odds for a start-up United States-based automaker. Specifically focused on the creation of electric vehicles, the California car builder overcame sceptics with their Roadster and later with the release of the Model S sedan. When the Tesla Model S would gain the honour of Motor Trend's Car of the Year in 2013, the win of one of the most prestigious vehicle awards meant no one could afford to underestimate the electric car company.

As soon as Tesla's buzz reached critical mass in the United States, the brand has expanded rapidly. In Canada, the electric vehicle's image has grown swiftly. Since Tesla's first Canadian sales store opened inside Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre in 2012, addition locations in the Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal area have spouted up. 17 of Tesla's Supercharger charging stations are also part of the electric car company's Canadian infrastructure. With such a brief presence in this country, Tesla's respect for the northern automotive marketplace will surge with the first global auto show appearance of their latest Model X crossover at the 2016 Canadian International AutoShow.

Not just another entrant in the premium crossover utility segment, the Tesla Model X is the latest high-tech, all-electric vehicle from a company wanting to change the way we perceive the automobile. Employing many of the technological innovations of the Model S sedan, Tesla has prepared some additional tricks for the Model X. Autopilot features and a top-trimmed P90D with a Ludicrous mode are two traits inherited by the crossover. Featuring energy storage of a 90 kWh battery pack, the Model X P90D is capable of a range up to 250 miles. Within the battery range, the Tesla Model X is a street-going terror able to acceleration from 0 to 60 miles per hour in as little as 3.2 seconds. Thanks to a combined torque of 713 pound-feet of torque from the Model X's two electric motors, the zero-emission premium crossover vehicle can tow up to 5,000 pounds.    

One of the most unique design characteristics of the Model X crossover is the opening of the rear doors. Called Falcon Wing doors, gull-wing style movement provides rear passengers access At its unveiling in September, the function of Falcon Wing doors on the Tesla Model X was demonstrated on-stage with another SUV and a minivan positioned within inches of each door. Based on a dual-hinge door design, the Model X’s Falcon wing doors opened without touching the other vehicles. Musk explained the inspiration for the Falcon doors was arrived at when he was placing his child seats into the rear of his vehicle.

Tesla Motors' presence at the Canadian International AutoShow in previous years has not been  relationship with the traditional dealership network model. Usually, a roadster or Model S would appear somewhere in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre but there was never a great deal of publication. Insisting to sell vehicles through direct channels, Tesla's business tactic has come at the ire of many established groups. Blocked from performing their usual sales in the state of Michigan, Tesla Motors has recently applied for a dealership license in the state. The 2016 Canadian International Auto Show provides a new, electrifying opportunity to see Tesla's continuing incorporation into the modern automotive marketplace.