Tesla Debuts Electric Sports Cars In London

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Thu, 02 Jul 2009

Electric sports cars from manufacturer Tesla Motors are now available to buy in the UK following the opening of the firm's new London showroom in Kensington – the first outside of North America .

The US company has already had a dozen UK orders from for its left-hand drive Roadster model, which does 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and can cover around 200 miles before needing a charge.

It also plans to make a right-hand drive version of the Roadster available by early next year.

Tesla says it expects to sell between 50 and 100 eco-friendly motors in its first year of business in the UK, each coming with a price tag of £87,000.

At the launch of the new dealership, Tesla boss Elon Musk said that he believes the European market has the potential to become even bigger than its home market in the US .

The CEO also unveiled the newest addition to its electric line-up, the Tesla Roadster Sport, which the company claims to be 15 per cent more powerful than the original Roadster .

The new Tesla Roadster Sport has a 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds, but comes with a £13,000 premium on the original model.

An electric saloon is also in the Tesla pipeline and is expected to be ready by the end of 2011.