Today we're launching the Model S online design studio in China and announcing the price of the car. For Chinese customers, the price of the Model S with the premium 85 kWh battery pack is 734k CNY.

Our goal when we created Tesla a decade ago was the same as it is today: to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass market electric cars to market as soon as possible. If we could have done that with our first product, we would have, but that was simply impossible to achieve for a startup company that had never built a car and that had one technology iteration and no economies of scale.

The best way to experience service is, of course, not to experience service. If your car does need service, then it should be swapped with a car that is ideally better in some or many ways. To this end, Tesla is building a fleet of top of the line Model S loaners. These will not be our basic model – they will be state of the art with all the best features and options.

Spring has arrived and there’s so much going on it’s hard to keep track. The last three weeks have taken us across the Atlantic to the Geneva International Motor Show, Norway and Amsterdam. Here at home we are preparing to open our next round of Tesla Stores and Service Centers and are finalizing plans for our Spring Test Drive events across the country. Be on the lookout for events in your area soon.

MILESTONES

A NEW YEAR BEGINS

There are reasons why Tesla is pursuing a company owned store and service center model that we feel are really important. In many respects, it would be easier to pursue the traditional franchise dealership model, as we could save a lot of money on construction and gain widespread distribution overnight. Many smart people have argued over the years that we should do this, just like every other manufacturer in the United States, so why have I insisted that we take a unique path?

GASOLINE vs ELECTRIC

Last weekend Tesla brought Model X to Santana Row for the first time, giving hundreds of visitors an opportunity to see Tesla's newest car in person. Throughout the weekend, Tesla Santana Row was packed with onlookers eager to see the functional and stylish Falcon Wing doors in action.