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Mercedes may be working on a new electric car dubbed 'Ecoluxe'

Automobile has a lengthy piece this month on how the four German mass-market luxury manufacturers each plan to go after Tesla with their own electric vehicles. It was written by Georg Kacher, the magazine's European bureau chief, and the English version came a month after he wrote the German-language original for Autobild. Tesla isn't exactly a threat to the Germans, but, according to the report, the Model S is planting the right kinds of seeds in niches that are important to the luxury players. The thinking is that - in addition to needed electric vehicles anyway for stricter US regulations - it's better to start designing the machinery now. The article posited Porsche's attack would rest on the coming Panamera platform, but a big hurdle would be battery placement. Unable to find one large space for a lithium-ion pack, engineers would instead put batteries everywhere they could, for a supposed tally of some "108 battery pouches" throughout the body. A few days after the Automobile piece, however, Porsche publicly said it had no intention of challenging the Model S, because the enthusiastic driving the brand is known for doesn't jive with useful range. In Kacher's retelling, Mercedes' plans are even more ambitious, supposedly taking aim at the Model S and the coming Model X. It would do this with an investment in excess of $2 billion in a program called "Ecoluxe" – Mercedes has no brand division akin to BMW's i and Audi's e-tron. The new brand would create a four-strong family of bespoke electric vehicles: a smaller platform with a wheelbase around 106 inches and a larger one with a wheelbase around 118 inches. In addition, the range would have "provisions for rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and rear-wheel steering." The numbers are impressive: seating for seven in the larger vehicles, both longer than 16 feet, front and rear storage areas, ratings of up to 610 horsepower and production capacity of 80,000 units per year. When would we see such creatures? Perhaps as soon as 2019. We do know that if Tesla can knock the Model X over the outfield fence, automakers are going to have to do something. We don't know what the chances are that Ecoluxe is Mercedes' first move - but such a plan could help explain the weird Mercedes concept spied in October.

Tesla Gigafactory coming to Reno, Nevada with $1.2 billion in tax incentives

You want details on the Gigafactory? You got 'em. At least the preliminary ones. At an event with Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval this afternoon, Tesla Motors announced that its first Gigafactory will be built outside Reno. As was leaked yesterday and confirmed by unnamed state officials today, the plant will be where Tesla will make a big statement not only about EVs but also the power of Nevada to further that particular fight. The incentive package is worth $1.2 billion over 20 years. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, speaking in Carson City, said that Nevada did not offer the biggest incentive package, but that, "This is not just about the incentives. [Nevada is a] really get things done state. That was a really important part of the decision," according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. That said, the incentive package is still more than twice what Musk originally said would be needed. The state worked out a deal with the automaker that will be wordh $1.2 billion over 20 years and should basically let Tesla operate tax-free for ten years, the RGJ reports. That will not surprise some people. The RGJ breaks down the numbers this way: $725 million for a 20-year 100 percent sales tax abatement $332 million for a 10-year 100 percent property tax abatement $120 million in transferable tax credits $75 million in transferable tax credits worth $12,500 per job times 6,000 jobs). $27 million for a 10-year, 100 percent modified business tax abatement $8 million in discounted electricity rates for eight years The Gigafactory is Tesla's answer to the question of how it will be able to make a $35,000 EV that will be able to over 200 miles on a charge. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that a 30-percent decrease in cost for the batteries is "probably conservative at this point." The Reno Gigafactory could be in operation by late 2016. Tesla is partnering with Panasonic on the plant. The governor thanked Senator Harry Reid, who he said played an important role. Whether the Reno announcement is the first of many remains to be seen. For now, the other states that wanted the plant, like California and Arizona, remain hopeful. Tesla's official statement and a short local news report on yesterday's rumors are available below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Tesla Model S P85D details leaking out

When the cat pokes its nose out of the bag, sometimes you can see a bit more than the cat intended. This week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk Tweeted a tease about "revealing the D" and promised to show more on October 9th, giving us a week to prepare for the big surprise. This ignited a debate over at the Tesla Motors Club and user Adelman has now posted a picture that a friend took of a Model S with P85D branding [UPDATE: Image removed from this post, but you can see it here]. This doesn't help us know exactly what we're looking at, but it does make the picture a bit clearer, since we can eliminate the idea that there's a Tesla Model D coming. And things come even more into focus when we put Musk's Tweet into context with not only previous company statements about an all-wheel drive Model S based on work being done on the AWD-only Model X but also a new Tweet by Edmunds' Mike Magrath that says, "According to the guide there's supposed to be an all-wheel drive Tesla here at the Paris Motor Show. There is not." See the Tweet and pic below. Given these pieces, it's looking pretty clear that the "D" Musk mentioned will be the AWD Model S. Now, about the "something else" he hinted at. What could that be? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.