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Auto Design Notes on the Tesla X SUV

This is the first in a series bi-weekly posts dedicated to examining design details in new vehicles.

Tesla’s march into new segments continues. The model X follows the S with larger than typical proportions, and takes a high ground-clearance package of an SUV, and combines it with a sedan / hatch profile. 

1) Second outing for Tesla’s new corporate nose. The smaller intake graphic reflects the lack of traditional radiator requirement with the electric powertrain and raises the question of how we expect to recognise brands. 

2) Aerodynamic function drive the design language: a softly curved cabin profile, calm surfacing - everything says “smooth.”

3) There are three rows of seats here, and the sloping roofline means that the cabin space has to come from somewhere - in this case the bodyside surfacing is deep, and fives the X a ‘big-boned’ volume. 

4) Falcon-wing doors are unique, solving the challenge of accessing row-3 seating along with parking lot squeezes. European garage heights might be an issue…

5) Black lower-body cladding, the favourite trick of the crossover, is seen here, primarily to disguise the bukl of the body above the wheels, but also adds an air of ruggedness.

Result
An unusual proportion for a car of unusual ability, the X enters a market inhabited by BMW’s X6, Mercedes GLE, and latterly Infiniti’s FX. The design of the X is unique among its peers with a soft yet precise feel, and a calming character, that goes against the grain of the more aggressive competition.

http://www.core77.com/posts/57051/Auto-Design-Notes-on-the-Tesla-X-SUV