Tesla Asked Women What They Wanted and Came Up With Model X SUV
- Automaker based design in part on soccer mom focus group
- SUV is key to help Tesla reach ambitious sales target
Tesla Tries to Woo Women With Model X
When Dallas-area Realtor Katherine Schwartz went shopping for a new SUV, she test-drove several models, including a Chevy Tahoe, Land Rover LR3 and Mercedes GL550. In the end, Schwartz, 40, decided to plunk down a $5,000 deposit for a vehicle no consumer has been able to sit in, much less take for a spin: Tesla Motors Inc.’s all-electric Model X, which starts deliveries later this month.
“You name it, I test-drove it, but when I saw the video of Elon Musk revealing the Model X online I was like ‘OK, this is it,”’ said Schwartz, who’s always hauling something: clients, real estate signs, two kids, their friends, the dog. Plus, her husband already drives a Tesla Model S sedan. “I’m very impressed with the safety record of the Model S, and I figure that the X will be comparably rated,” she said.