Pre-Production Model X showcased by Panasonic at CES

This year's Consumer Electronic's Show (CES) included some revealing information about Tesla. Who did the revealing? Well... not Tesla themselves, it was actually Panasonic!

Panasonic’s Chairman/CEO Joe Taylor said at CES that he expects Tesla to produce 500,000 electric vehicles by 2020, with the help of the Gigafactory, a $5 billion production facility the two companies are building together. Panasonic is the company behind the 18650 battery cells used in the Model S (and forthcoming Model X) and has promised to invest “tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars)” in the plant. These two companies have history together - back in 2010, Panasonic also invested $30 million in Tesla for a 2% stake in the company.

For those who haven't seen the Model X, the pre-production vehicle was showcased at Panasonic's CES booth. We've included some photos showing the design details that really make the Model X unique. Although everyone highlights the falcon wing doors, there were other details that jumped out at us, see below: (from top to bottom: the elegant floating touchscreen console, the buttonless touchscreen controls on the steering wheel, the high-gloss seat backs, aggressive "stub" nose and angular turbine wheels).

Of special interest at Panasonic's CES booth was an overview from Panasonic's CTO, Todd Rytting, about the specialized 18650 cells used in the upcoming Model X and a few other cool projects...

And, for a more 360 degree view of the Model X showcased at Panasonic's booth, check out this video.

Posted in Model X, Panasonic, tesla news