Tesla Plans Lower Price Electric Vehicle to Overcome Nissan Leaf

Tesla Motors feels fresh freedom after having reimbursed the Energy Dept.

What’s the future of the little electric brand? Without government operational agreements in place, CEO Elon Musk is in a freshly liberated position. That could mean selling the company, although the 41-year-old executive is not going to do that in the nearest time.

Earlier this month, Musk said informed he doesn’t anticipate stepping away from the company for “a couple of years,” although he notified that an acquisition is one of the possible finals for Tesla. Nevertheless, he doesn’t see an automaker purchasing the brand because it seems too costly. Instead, he informed it would have to be someone from outside the car industry.

More instantly, he is trying to offer a lower cost model to aim a broader market.

“With the Model S, you have an attractive car that’s too costly for most customers,” he informed. “And you have the Leaf, which is not expansive, but unworthy. What people really need is a super, convenient electric vehicle. I won’t let anything go, no matter what people offer, until I succeed in this mission.”

Musk told in an interview with Carsbase that the vehicle will support around 200 miles of range and will cost less than $40,000, set to reach customers in “3-4 years.”

But news about new products from the brand has been fragmented at best. New information on the Model X electric crossover has been silenced — reports earlier this year suggest the model will be delayed until 2014. However, recent news coming from the company has concentrated on the brand reimbursing its government loans and claims about the Model S.