Tesla Model S Seats 7 Passengers

The newest Tesla electric car (announced officially today in Los Angelas California) was packing one surprise that nobody expected. The vehicle seats up to seven passengers according to Tesla chairman Elon Musk. Pictures of the new model S are floating around the web but none of them show the additional rear seats that are creating so much buzz.

The Model S looks like a cross between a Masarati and an Aston Martin and is strikingly similar in design to the electric Fisker Karma which we explored last October here although the S is a hybrid. From what we've heard, Tesla was actually involved in a law suit with Fisker who reportedly stole their design after poaching a few engineers. Anyways, the new Model S has standard seating for five as many sports sedans do but also features a set of two additional rear facing seats in what would otherwise be a hatchback trunk shown below.

Rear facing passengers will enjoy a great view as the hatchback and roof of the vehicle are almost completely made of glass. The car we saw also has a sliding sunroof for those hot California days. It seems like the option to seat seven is targeted at Mom's who currently own Toyota Land Cruisers (or the Lexus equivalent) that might want the extra space for soccer games and play dates. Other cars that have featured rear facing third row seats include the uber-popular Ford Taurus Station Wagon, Mercedes Benz W123 and W124, and Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country introduced in the late 1950's shown below. These seats folded up out of the trunk space (almost like a flap to cover a spare tire) and were fairly rigid. Whiplash was a concern for larger passengers (at least with the Ford version that did not include headrests) but most kids wouldn't have a problem with that type of injury as they are too short to experience any trauma.

Chrysler rear seat image source, Tesla Model S image source. Elon Musk quotation on seven seating option provided by Laura Burstein of CNET "Tesla Motors unveiled its Model S sedan prototype today at a rocket factory in Southern California. The four-door will seat seven and start at a base price of $57,400 ($49,900 after a $7,500 federal tax credit)." here.