Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk tweeted a cryptic message on Thursday that got all of the Twitter-verse snickering. He said they’re planning to unveil “the D and something else.” Naturally that kicked off a bunch of dirty-minded comments in addition to widespread speculation of what “the D” might be.
Photo suggests Model S P85D
The very first thing most thought Musk must be teasing is a Model D car. After all, we have the Model S and the Model X, and we would have had the Model E if Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) hadn’t gotten angry. Of course now that mass market car will be the Model 3.
So will “the D” be a car? It seems unlikely that there will be a Model D, at least this soon. The company already has its plate full with the upcoming Model X and then the Model 3 after that. However, Jalopnik spotted a photo on the Tesla Motors Club forum that may provide some insight into what Musk tweeted about.
Assuming the image hasn’t been Photoshopped, it appears to show a Model S P85D. This would be some sort of upgrade to the current top-of-the-line Model S. The P85 package on the Model S gives drivers all of the goodies, packing every single option, including the largest battery pack, which is 85 kilowatt hours.
What does the D stand for?
On Thursday, we started hearing speculations that the “D” referenced by Musk refers to a dual motor. In other words, if the photo of the Model S P85D is real, then Tesla may simply be adding a dual motor to the car, adding an additional layer at the very top of the Model S price point.
According to Jalopnik, adding a second motor to the Model S could potentially cut down the amount of time it takes for the car to go from zero to 60 miles per hour. Currently, it takes 4.2 seconds, according to drive tests. Also adding a second motor would give the car all-wheel-drive, an important push toward the Model X crossover vehicle, which is expected to have all-wheel-drive.
The event is scheduled for Oct. 9.
