CEO and founder of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, recently tweeted that Tesla is “unveiling the D and something else.” This tweet and release that has only been speculated about at this point, has brought a substantial amount of publicity to Tesla. It appears to be a step forward in many peoples’ minds, however, this could be a stall by the company in the case that the Model X is behind schedule. While the “something else” is still a complete mystery, the “D” could quite possibly mean a new drivetrain is coming to a new version of a Model S.
If Tesla releases a Model S with all wheel drive (AWD), then the car will become more appealing in colder climates. For example, a Model S with AWD could potentially help the company expand into the rest of Canada with more ease, or even the northern United States. Regardless of what Musk is unveiling, it is certainly good for the business. Since the announcement, Tesla shares have risen approximately 5%.
The way Musk and Tesla has decided to release the news is uncannily similar to the unveiling of Apple products. Usually there is an enormous uproar when Apple is about to announce the release of its latest iPhone, and with excitement comes much speculation and hype towards the company. This is exactly the type of publicity that Tesla needs since they have fallen quiet for quite some time with no new releases since the Model S. Marketing has been a weak point for Tesla previously, however, they could use the momentum they have gained in the past week to launch a marketing campaign that could boost sales as well.
Sources from Forbes, and Will Oremus’ blog (Slate’s senior technology writer)