Two keen-eyed car enthusiasts separately caught on camera what appears to be a camouflaged Tesla Model X going through road testing at an airport in California.
Brandon Kiehne first posted on Instagram a picture of the much awaited all-electric SUV, which he initially believed was the $35,000 Model 3, an entry-level sedan that Tesla said is not going to hit the market until 2017.
"I believe this is the first photo of the Tesla Model 3," Kiehne says. "The only other photos are from autoexpress.co.uk that Tesla claims are complete speculations."
The photo doesn't provide much as to what the Model X could look like. Kiehne says he was able to take a picture of the vehicle as it was being pulled into a trailer truck labeled Tesla.
"After it was closed up I asked if I could be nosey hoping to find out what the car was but I got a quick 'not on this one,'" Kiehne says.
In the background, one could see what Kiehne says is a Model S, which is parked about 15 to 20 feet from the trailer.
Responding to Kiehne's Instagram post, user Juan del Real sent him a link to a YouTube video showing the camouflaged car, which appears to share a similar design with the Toyota Prius, in action. He also corrects Kiehne's earlier assumption that the car is a Model 3.
I happened to be at the right place, at the right time to see the new #Tesla Model X as it was being road tested https://t.co/7uesaDqTFp
— Juan del Real (@juandelreal) Jan. 30, 2015
In the one-minute-and-a-half video, the alleged Model X is seen zipping from afar at high speeds at the test track of the Alameda Naval Air Station in San Francisco, California. The testing was done for straight-line acceleration but also for wide looping and braking. The sound of the tires squealing as the vehicle rounds a corner can be heard through the microphone of del Real's iPhone 5 used to take the video.
From both the photo and the video, one can see that the vehicle has a broad rear and relatively high seating, suggesting that it is indeed Tesla's upcoming SUV-minivan hybrid. It also appears to share the same characteristics, such as shape, size, and design, with the Model X concept car that was introduced by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in 2012.
What is not obvious in the video, however, is whether the vehicle sports the same falcon-wing doors that captured attention when Musk previewed the concept at the company design center a couple of years ago.
The Model X was initially scheduled for production in 2013 but was delayed twice as Tesla decided to "build in significantly more validation testing time." The vehicle is slated to be shipped in the third quarter of 2015.
