Tesla Motors has been featured frequently on front pages and business sections over the past two weeks. The electric vehicle producer kicked off an initial public offering (IPO) on June 29th that yielded significant interest from investors. Tesla’s shares went from the starting price of $17 per share to $23.89 per share, representing a 41% increase in a single day. The company’s confidence in the Tesla Roadster and the upcoming Model S can be seen in the recently released of the Roadster 2.5.
Tesla plans to release the Roadster 2.5 as it opens dealerships in Copenhagen and Newport Beach. The Tesla Roadster 2.5 contains slight adjustments to the familiar Roadster body and interior. The front end of this latest Roadster edition includes new diffusers and vents to make the design a bit more complex. Tesla also added a front fender liner to the Roadster 2.5 that decreases road noises for the driver. The Power Electronics Module (PEM) was modified to handle systems management at higher temperatures.
Additional changes to the Roadster seem aimed at the luxury-minded consumers who can afford Tesla vehicles. Each Roadster 2.5 features a lumbar support system that adds some comfort for long commutes and trips. Tesla allows buyers to choose between silver and black directional fused wheels that are slight improvements on previous models. Future consumers can pay extra for seven-inch touch screen displays with backup cameras. This display also serves as a connectivity center for drivers with iPods, iPhones and CD/DVD playback features. The company will also present optional door-mounted tweeters and subwoofers to give some muscle to the sound system.
Auto industry experts have been quick to jump on the Tesla bandwagon due to its big splash on the stock market. Tesla is certainly changing the auto industry by eschewing the model year approach to new vehicle releases. The company seems more interested in a software approach to product releases that makes small and frequent adjustments to signature products. The major issue with the Roadster 2.5 is that it offers little in the way of substantive performance or price changes. Tesla only has about 1,200 customers at the moment and premium options like touch screen displays won’t encourage big investments by newcomers. Investors in Tesla’s recent IPO need to hope that the upcoming Model S release is successful in expanding the consumer base. Without a successful release for the more reasonably priced Model S, the Tesla IPO and Roadster 2.5 will turn the company from upstart to flash in the pan.
