BRABUS, a German tuner, is offering packages for Tesla Roadster changes including modifications to the all-electric powertrain. BRABUS will focus on enhancements and sound affects.

As we move inexorably toward the electrification of cars, companies that have made a business out of tweaking engines for more power will have to make some significant changes to their business model. BRABUS is a company known as the primary third-party alternative to AMG when it comes to enhanced cars from the house of Daimler, and today has announced its first foray into electricity. (more…)

Given the $109,000 hit the 2008 Tesla Roadster can take on your bank account, Tesla Motors offers a rebate that many are unaware of. The rebate can alleviate some of the burden. According to Tesla’s co-founder and former CEO Martin Eberhard, Tesla does not advertise a rebate from the California Air Resources Board that is available to those purchasing an electric-car.

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Tesla Motors of Silicon Valley released a teaser photo of their delayed model S sedan. The delay was caused by the company’s financial and leadership crisis.

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Tesla is planning to move from its current San Carlos, California headquarters to a $250 million San Jose, California facility, construction beginning in 2009. The reason? The Model S, an all-new 4-door 5-passenger zero-emissions luxury sedan powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. Unlike the Tesla Roadster, which is built in partnership with Lotus in the U.K. and based on a stretched Elise platform, the Model S will ride on a platform developed by Tesla.

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Tesla announced the production of the new Roadster today setting March 17th as the regular production date. The announcement was made by CEO Ze’ev Drori on his corporate blog. The Roadster will be built through 2008 and they are projected to produce 100 each month.

As reported by Autoblog:

Tesla’s president and CEO, Ze’ev Drori, made the announcement today on his corporate blog that production of the Roadster has officially begun. Tesla originally set a date of March 17th for “regular” production of the Roadster, and the folks in Hethel have met that obligation today. From here, Tesla intends to get started on its retail efforts, with both a Los Angeles location and a Menlo Park facility for sales and service for the 600 roadsters expected to be built over the course of 2008. Tesla is hoping that they’ll be able to produce around 100 Roadsters each month, up from its current level of one to five cars per week. All the models being produced this year have already been spoken for, so any orders that come in will be sold as 2009 models.

Gallery: First Drive: Tesla Roadster

[Source: Tesla]

Originally by Damon Lavrinc from Autoblog on March 17, 2008, 10:56am