Elon Musk
Tesla D

Defining the Tesla 'D'

Oct. 8, 2014
Speculation has run rampant about what the elusive "D" could be in Tesla's Oct. 9 announcement.

In the week since Tesla (IW 500/384) (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk teased the Twitter world with his tweet, "About time to unveil the D and something else," speculation has run rampant about what the elusive "D" could be.

Since Musk tweeted the announcement, the company's stock has gained upwards of $2 billion, CNNMoney reports.

And deliberation about the "D" has skyrocketed even more as Tesla fans, analysts and automotive and technology reporters alike are all tossing out new explanations for the "D."

One popular suggestion is that the Palo Alto, Calif.-based electric vehicle company is preparing to introduce an AWD dual motor version of the Model S.

Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry in a Sept. 22 report said that Tesla is expected to introduce a 4-wheel drive Model S in the next three months, StreetInsider.com reports.

Another suggests Tesla is ready to unveil a driverless -- or semi-autonomous at least -- vehicle.

In a September interview with The Wall Street Journal, Musk said a fully autonomous car could be ready in five to seven years. Or rather, the technology would be ready.

And technology blog ExtremeTech even proposes a diesel Tesla.

Senior editor Sebastian Anthony writes, "Obviously, a diesel/plug-in hybrid (PHEV) would be the most exciting — but it’s antithetical to Tesla’s mission to popularize the all-electric vehicle."

What are your predictions? Tell us in the comments.

About the Author

Ginger Christ | Ginger Christ, Associate Editor

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Ginger Christ is an associate editor for EHS Today, a Penton publication.

She has covered business news for the past seven years, working at daily and weekly newspapers and magazines in Ohio, including the Dayton Business Journal and Crain's Cleveland Business.

Most recently, she covered transportation and leadership for IndustryWeek, a sister publication to EHS Today.

She holds a bachelor of arts in English and in Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

 

 

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