The next electric Tesla will be an SUV that will outrun a Porsche 911 to 60 mph, carry seven passengers, handle well in both rain and snow. The Tesla X gets its power from what it calls Dual Electric Motor AWD (all wheel drive), basically one motor each for the front and rear wheels, and a 60 or 85 kWh battery.

The Tesla X gets its performance from the special nature of electric motors: They deliver maximum power (torque) immediately, from standstill. For the Tesla X, accelerating to 60 mph takes 4.4 seconds, the company says, better than the Porsche 911 sports car. It’s cheaper too: The price of the Tesla X will probably be around $75,000. This hasn’t been exactly set yet, but the interest was high enough that $40 million in advance orders came in in just one day from 500 buyers. That’s despite the fact that delivery isn’t until early 2014.

The electric drive means Tesla can easily implement safety-performance technologies. Torque vectoring, for instance, is an Audi-pioneered technology that directs more power to the outside wheels when driving around a corner. It can provide an extra measure of safety on wet or snowy roads or, for performance fanatics, lets you go faster on all roads until driver stupidity overcomes high tech, and you slide off anyway. Initially torque vectoring called for a complex differential and drivetrain. In Tesla it’s reduced to a handful of electronics that distributes the power to all four corners as needed.

The most noticeable feature of the Tesla X is its top-hinged doors that open up, not out. Tesla calls them Falcon Doors. They look a lot like gullwing doors made popular by the Mercedes-Benz 300SL in the 1950s and bit-player automakers of the past such as Bricklin and DeLorean (see “Back to the Future”). Whatever they’re called, on the Tesla X it’s a practical feature, the company says: “The Falcon Wing doors allow an adult to stand in the middle row, for convenient positioning of a child seat.” The second row seats slide to allow access to the third row. When all seats are filled seven passengers fit aboard.

This Tesla will also have a 17-inch LCD touchscreen display in the center of the dash for controls, vehicle applications, and internet access. The 60 KWh battery is estimated to provide a 200-mile driving range, the 85 kWh batter about 300 miles.

The X is the third Tesla. The original Tesla Roadster was in production through late 2011 while the more affordable Tesla S sedan goes on sale this year ($67,000 base price). The Tesla X will be built on an extended version of the Tesla S; it goes into production late in 2013 with first deliveries in early 2014, Tesla says. The $75,000 estimated base price is derived from Tesla’s hints that it will be a bit more costly than the Tesla S and it will be price-competitive with combustion engine premium SUVs, meaning the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus LX, and Mercedes-Benz GL.