While the extent of the work done by Saleen on the Tesla Model S won’t go as far as rebuilding the entire car with higher performance bits, it is expected to make the all-electric sedan noticeably faster.

At least they’re doing it and showing it is a candidate for other tuner’s attention, as well – it seems nobody has yet dared to tackle a full Model S extreme performance build.

This Saleen prototype is shrouded in mystery, but Steve Saleen did say for Teslarati that “the result will be a transformation of the Model S sedan to a track-ready beast of an electric vehicle (EV).”

Among the few facts that we could gather from the article, we learn that Saleen emphasized the car’s chassis-derived talents by fitting it with Billsteing shocks that improve its neutral, well-balanced nature, even when the car is pushed really hard into the corners.

Again, while we don’t know any specifics, the source piece, which was written based on having experienced the prototype, says the Saleen-modified car was faster, flatter and braked better than the standard Model S it was being followed and gauged from.

We don’t know what they’ve done to it, but our curiosity is aroused!

The only question now is, will they give it a mean body kit?

Multiple injuries were reported in a dangerous high-speed crash involving a Tesla Model S this holiday weekend in Los Angeles. The EV was apparently stolen from a local Tesla store and was driven at triple-digit speeds through LA a little before 1 am, a sergeant Campbell from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division told KTLA 5.

Following a call from employees at the store, police chased the apparent thief through LA until he crashed into two cars and a lamp post. The Model S split in half, with the back end getting wedged into a nearby synagogue while the front half caught on fire. An eyewitness told NBC Los Angeles that, "Everybody who was looking was screaming. They tried to help but there was too much smoke."

What, exactly, caused the fire is unknown, but let's just rehash the old chestnut that Tesla EVs are not inherently fire traps and that driving at over 100 miles per hour is a dangerous endeavor in any vehicle. It was originally reported that the thief died, but he, along with people from the cars he hit, were taken to the hospital for treatment and he is reportedly still alive.

Automobiles can be dangerous objects, especially when moving at highway speeds. The July 4th holiday in the US, which took place this past weekend, is often an extra-dangerous time on America's roads, with an average of 127 deaths from car crashes in recent years. This year, there were at least two Tesla Model S crashes over the holiday, and despite a spectacular fire in one of the incidents, both of the drivers survived the incidents.

The most dramatic crash happened when a Model S was apparently stolen and taken for a joy ride. Tesla told Bloomberg that the company is eager to take a closer look at what's left of the crashed vehicle, which snapped in half. "There aren't so many S's involved in major crashes, and certainly not quite like this one, so we absolutely want to have a look to understand what happened," said Tesla spokesman Simon Sproule. Tesla spokesperson Liz Jarvis-Shean told AutoblogGreen that, "We're working with relevant authorities and will be examining the car as we would with any accident."

What isn't yet clear is how the reported thief was able to drive the stolen Model S (Tesla has not yet responded to our questions on this front). Media reports say it was someone at the Tesla store who reported the theft to police as it was happening, so it would seem that Tesla knew about the incident well before the crash. Whether there enough time to tell the police where the car was going or to deactivate the car is unknown.

In another tragic crash that happened this weekend, a Model S rear ended a Toyota Corolla. Three of the occupants of the Toyota were killed but the Tesla driver only suffered "minor injuries," according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Model S received five stars in the NHTSA's crash tests and has had safety improvements since those tests were conducted. Previous Tesla's have caught fire but no serious injuries have been reported.

Tesla Motors continues to be locked in a bitter trademark dispute with a Chinese man who claims to own the rights to the company's name there. Zhan Baosheng is now suing the automaker in China for trademark infringement, and he's asking for 23.9 million yuan ($3.9 million) in damages, plus for the business shut down all of its Chinese operations.

According to Automotive News, Zhan registered for the trademark in 2006 and was granted it in 2009, which was after the automaker was founded in the US in 2003 but before it began Chinese operations. The two sides have been fighting over the name for years. The business reportedly offered him two million yuan ($322,500 at current exchange rates) to buy the trademark in 2009, but Zhan allegedly came back with an astronomical counter-offer for the equivalent of $32 million.The company also nearly changed its localized brand name in China to Tuosule because Zhan owned the rights to its preferred Te Si La title, but the courts eventually sided with Tesla.

On his Twitter page, Zhan's profile says that he's "the owner of TESLA trademark in China." He also recently tweeted a photo of himself holding the trademark document.

t seems unlikely for Tesla to lose its Chinese trademark. So far, the courts have ruled in the company's favor over Zhan. According to Automotive News, the country's trademark regulator invalidated Zhan's rights to the name last year. However, he's appealing the ruling. A Tesla spokesperson told Automotive News that the company hasn't been served with the lawsuit from him yet

CNET revisits the Tesla Model S now that it's a bona fide mass production hit, explore drive-by-wire technology, and learn how technology can only partly neutralize those damaging potholes.

CNET's Brian Cooley revisits the Tesla Model S now that it's a bona fide mass-production hit.