CarBrandLogos archive · Tesla · 2015

TeslaModel X

The falcon-wing doors were spectacular, and they nearly sank the programme.

Photo: Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Tesla history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Tesla Model X, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Tesla put the Model S platform under a five-door SUV body and, in the process, gave itself an engineering problem it did not need. The falcon-wing rear doors hinge at the roof and fold in the middle, opening upward in tight parking spaces where a conventional door would not clear. Making them seal, sense obstacles reliably and not leak took years, and the car arrived in 2015 well behind schedule and with quality problems that persisted into the first production run.

Tesla Model X · John Cummings · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tesla Model S & X side by side at the Gilroy Supercharger

Design and engineering

What came out of it was still a capable vehicle: dual-motor all-wheel drive as standard, later a tri-motor Plaid version, seating for up to seven, a very large windscreen that extends over the front occupants' heads, and towing capacity unusual for an electric vehicle at the time.

Tesla Model S & X side by side at the Gilroy Supercharger · Steve Jurvetson · CC BY 2.0

2016 Tesla Model X in Lantana Florida 1of2

In production

Elon Musk later said publicly that the Model X had been over-complicated, and Tesla applied that lesson to the Model Y, which is the same idea executed with ordinary doors and shares most of its parts with the Model 3. The X was built at Fremont, with European final assembly at Tilburg for a period, and production ran to May 2026.

2016 Tesla Model X in Lantana Florida 1of2 · CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz — a photo credit is required if this image is used anywhere other than Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Designer

Franz von Holzhausen

Body

5-door SUV

Technical specification

The Model X, in detail.

Production: 2015 – May 2026
Class: Mid-size luxury crossover SUV (E)
Body style: 5-door SUV
Layout: Dual-motor, all-wheel-drive ; Tri-motor, all-wheel-drive (Plaid)
Transmission: Single-speed transaxle gearboxes ; 60D, 75D, 90D, 100D: 9.34:1 front, 9.34:1 rear ; P90D, P100D: 9.34:1 front, 9.73:1 rear
Designer: Franz von Holzhausen
Assembly: United States: Fremont, California (Tesla Fremont Factory; Fremont Factory) ; Netherlands: Tilburg (Tesla facilities in Tilburg; Tilburg final assembly, 2016–2021)
Manufacturer: Tesla, Inc.