Tesla to Show Off its New 'D' at Special Press Event

Tech and car enthusiast circles are buzzing with fresh speculation after Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla Motors, tweeted out an invitation to a special October 9 press event where the company will unveil what looks to be a new “Model D” car.

About time to unveil the D and something else pic.twitter.com/qp23yi59i6

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2014

Musk also promised to reveal “something else” at the event, which will take place at Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles.

According to TechCrunch’s roundup of all the chatter, gearhead blog Jalopnik is speculating that the “D” stands for Dual, as in a dual-motor all wheel drive version of the company’s Model S. The new car would essentially be a Model S “supercar,” with an additional powertrain, a second engine, and upgraded batteries to power it all.

According to tips provided to TechCrunch, the “something else” could be a Model S tricked out with significantly increased speeds.

TechCrunch’s Matt Burns summed it up:

“A ultra-high performance Model S would likely satisfy a niche market of buyers and fans alike. The Tesla Roadster is long gone and the Model S is getting a bit stale. As countless car makers before it, Tesla could extend the Model S’ shelf life by simply offering more exclusive editions.”

Burns predicted the new car could see over 600 horsepower and speeds of up to 155 mph. 

“Despite a slumping stock price, Tesla is still riding high,” Burns writes. “It doesn’t need a supercar, but such a model would act like its Corvette or Viper. A halo car. Tesla needs something new to draw shoppers into showrooms and to parade around auto shows that isn’t a family hauler.”

Electric car diehards will just have to wait until October 9 to find out.