What appears to be a video of Tesla’s oft-delayed Model X SUV being test driven at a old naval air station not that far north of Fremont recently surfaced on YouTube. While it certainly does appear to be a Model X, that’s not definitely so, especially given the distance and quality of the video.
Still, take a look yourself and decide. It’s worth a watch.
This recent video is coming to us via Juan del Real, who presumably lives in the area (or not too far away). The exact location where the video was taken was at the aforementioned former air station in Alameda, California — about 30 miles north of Tesla’s factory.
Here are some interesting comments from Chris DeMorro at Gas2:
Video of the heavily-camouflaged test mule was captured from a nearby skate park, and there’s two things that are undeniably clear. One, this is an all-electric SUV being tested, as there is not any engine noise whatsoever. And two, this thing is fast. I’m not sure what kind of testing was being done, but the way the Model X mule was being flogged around indicates that this isn’t just any electric SUV, but something with aspirations larger than hauling groceries and tiny soccer players.
Could it be the electric SUV is another make? Perhaps. Consider though that this testing location is just 30 miles from Tesla’s main headquarters, and the vehicle bears more than just a passing resemblance to the Model X prototypes we’ve seen thus far. While we never get a clear or close-up shot of the vehicle, the hoodline is the best giveway that we’re looking at a Model X prototype, and not something else. There is however a chance that this is actually a Model III crossover prototype, as it does look a little small…though without anything to compare it to it’s hard to say for sure. Going along that line of thinking, the back end looks a good bit squarer than any of the prototypes, which could be the work of either great camouflage, or a new look for the backend.
On that comment, it should be noted here that company reps have stated that the Model X is actually going to look quite a bit different from what we’ve seen in the past — the earlier prototypes won’t necessarily have that much in common with what it actually ends up looking like. Well, reportedly anyways. Until we actually see it, who can say for sure.
It’s only a few months until the official unveiling though, so I guess that we’ll know soon enough.
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