Tesla Model S to get 4WD option in 2014

It looks like Tesla will be using the drivetrain from the upcoming Model X SUV on the Model S too to produce an all-wheel drive option.

The Tesla Model S is an astonishing success for Tesla, and has turned a company on the edge of financial chaos, and in hock to the government, in to a stock market darling thanks to strong sales and great reviews.

Tesla’s next trick should be the arrival of the Model X SUV in 2015, which will be a jacked up Model S with 4WD and the promise of impressive performance at a price that will go right to the heart of SUV/SAV offerings from the Germans and Land Rover.

But ahead of the Model X actually arriving in Tesla Showrooms and customers’ hands, it looks like Tesla are set to add a 4WD option to the Model S using the drivetrain they’ve developed for the Model X. Which makes a lot of sense.

The Model S is already an impressive performer, but with the amount of torque its electric motor produces it has to work hard to get its power down. Add in 4WD and that should be much easier.

Just as Mercedes is starting to move towards 4WD for its AMG offerings (when, on the E63 AMG, 4WD cuts the 0-62mph by more than half a second) and Jaguar are fitting 4WD to the XF and XJ, the move by Tesla to add a 4WD option to the mix on the Model S is a sensible one from a performance perspective.

But it’s not just in performance terms that a 4WD Model S makes sense, but in marketing terms too.

Jaguar’s impetus for 4WD had more to do with sales in the US snow belt and snowier climes, and for Tesla it should widen the appeal of the Model S in the North Eastern States, as well as offering better performance.

Expect a 4WD option for the Tesla Moedl S to arrive in 2014, although probably only on the 85kWh Performance model.

Source: The Verge (via Motor Authority)