Will feature styling and performance upgrades

Saleen Automotive has announced plans to introduce their Tesla Model S based "Foursixteen" at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The company is keeping details a closely guarded secret but they confirmed we can expect to see a "comprehensive list of aerodynamic, performance and technological upgrades." That's not much to go on but previous sketches have shown the car will have an aggressive body kit and an upgraded interior with leather and Alcantara upholstery.

According to CEO Steve Saleen, "We are eager to showcase the results of the tremendous effort of my team at Saleen Automotive, culminating in what I believe is a truly exceptional all-electric vehicle that stands on the shoulders of the Tesla's innate excellence yet displays the Saleen heritage for which we are known."

The Tesla Model S is hardly a new car, but in some markets like the United Kingdom, the electric sedan has just landed. This is why What Car? thought it would be a good idea to introduce the Model S to its readers.

And what a better place to do that than a shopping mall in London where Tesla Motors’ first British dealership is located? Since the UK is projected to become Tesla’s most important market in Europe, readers’ feedback on the Model S are no doubt relevant for the automaker.

For instance, one of the people who had the chance to drive the Model S liked everything about it, minus the huge touchscreen which he described as “vulgar”.

Another reader rated the car’s optional extras as too expensive, but positive impressions overwhelmingly outnumbered the negatives. Scroll down to see what Brits think of the Tesla Model S.

Google Maps not supported'

Tesla Model S owners in China are facing lack of support for navigation services but a fix is in the works.

For a car that costs the equivalent of 121,000 USD, you'd expect support for navigation services but this isn't the case for the China-spec Tesla Model S which lacks this important feature. Apparently, Google Maps are not supported in the Model S but Tesla Motors is working on an alternative map database with Chinese text and voice recognition which will be introduced later this year, as specified in an official response from Tesla.

Owners have already been informed a fix is being developed but it should be mentioned Tesla can't yet provide the map update over the air because "remote over-the-air software updates are not yet supported in Chinese Model S" so the only way to push the update is through Tesla's backend system.

Makes Model S more accessible

Tesla Motors has announced on its blog the launch of a leasing program for business owners.

Following the successful Resale Value Guarantee from 2013, customers with small and medium sized businesses have been reportedly asking for a leasing program that would allow them to deduct the payments from their taxes. The Californian manufacturer says this new program is user friendly and straightforward – the future buyers will be able to calculate their monthly leasing costs, while configuring their new Model S online.

Tesla promises customers will have to read and sign only three pages of agreements, written in plain language. The company also says clients will be able to handle and sign their lease contracts completely electronically through a one-button tap on the 17-inch touchscreen in their new EV.

The Tesla lease is available through the Tesla Finance arm, a new subsidiary that has been especially formed to offer this new product to business customers.

Seeing a Tesla Model S is beginning to be less and less of an event, especially in the areas where they’re now popular.

People will want to personalize their car, make it stand out more, but so far, they’ve only had to contend with minimal exterior visual mods or ones they were able to individually commission, probably at great cost.

Unplugged Performance is offering a fairly affordable way of giving your Model S some more street cred, especially if you opt for their entire kit and garnish it with a set of bigger wheels.

Their kit is made up of a front splitter/rear diffuser setup, lower side skirts, a boot lid spoiler and a set of sportier looking headlights. There’s also a completely redesigned front bumper that doesn’t actually look that bad – it’s not the one in the photos here, as this car features the standard bumper plus splitter setup.

The latter is probably the most noticeable part they offer, all the other ones being pretty subtle and not all that far off from what an actual sportier Model S made by the manufacturer would look like.

Like many publications, Consumer Reports gushed over the Tesla Model S, calling it its top-rated car last year, but actually living with one has proven less stellar.

Similar to what Edmunds recently reported, the long-term experience with the Model S hasn't been problem-free. In fact, Edmunds and Consumer Reports have a reasonably long list of niggles.

Some, like issues with the automatically retractable door handles, have been able to be solved with software updates sent from Tesla directly to the car, eliminating the need for trips to the service department. But other problems with things like the car's central screen – since the Model S has few physical controls, it makes it tough to do much with the car when that goes blank – do require trips to a Tesla service center.

Consumer Reports hasn't had quite the same list of problems Edmunds had, but the Model S may not be as bulletproof as originally thought when the magazine did its annual reliability survey. Tesla got a score of average, which may not happen again next year.

Still, the majority of Tesla owners, Consumer Reports included, seem to be happy with the car and the level of service received, meaning there's a chance the company will escape these teething issues with its reputation intact.

Saleen has given us the first glimpse at its electric car development.

Making its official debut at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the Saleen Foursixteen, a heavily modified Tesla Model S P85 that will be outfitted with a full body kit and five-spoke wheels while the interior has received dark gray leather and Alcantara upholstery with red contrast stitching. The body kit will consist of a new front bumper sporting dual air dams, a carbon fiber lip spoiler, side skirts, a trunk-mounted spoiler and a rear diffuser.

Technical details on the Saleen Foursixteen weren’t revealed yet but the company is aiming to make it different than any other EV available in today’s market. Drivetrain modifications will likely make it considerably more powerful and faster than a standard Model S while carbon ceramic brakes will enhance the sedan’s stopping capabilities.

Owners of the Tesla 85 kWh Model S now have an infinite mile warranty.

The American electric automaker has announced that the Tesla Model S drive unit warranty will now match the warranty of the battery pack, which is an eight year, infinite mile warranty. According to the announcement posted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, there will be no limit on the number of owners during the warranty period either.

The warranty extension will apply to all current Model S owners and Musk believes in hindsight that this should have been the policy from the very beginning. He also acknowledged to Tesla investors that the change will have a moderately negative effect on Tesla’s earnings in the short term but believes it’s the right thing to do and is confident that it will work out well in the long term.

We've known Saleen would be adding some heat to the Tesla Model S for sometime now. Now they're showing it and shouting its name, the Saleen FOURSIXTEEN.

Saleen may have stolen some of Renovo's thunder at Pebble Beach this weekend with the Foursixteen. Based on the Model S P85 Performance model, it boasts a new 11.39:1 final gear ratio as well as a locking differential unique to Saleen to launch the car faster off the line, although no performance figures were released.

To aid performance, the Foursixteen benefits from revised suspension that can be optioned to an adjustable setup for different road and track settings. But it's clear Saleen has shifted the Model S' focus from being a cruiser to more of a bruiser. Even the seats are more bolstered and more sporting, making the standard car's interior look spartan by comparison.

The Foursixteen starts off at $152,000, but is still eligible for all of the tax credits the standard Model S qualifies for. Saleen will also offer some upgrades to existing Model S owners through their performance parts division.

While Steve Saleen, founder of American pony car tuner Saleen, didn’t explicitly say that his company didn't add more power to their tuned Tesla Model S (called FourSixteen), it’s pretty clear that they haven’t. That’s most obviously true when he says they tried not to mess with the range of the car, or the batteries…

We already knew it has a new slightly shorter final gear, in order to shoot off the line even faster, and a body kit, and new rims, and more side bolstering on the seats, but it was really the power that posed the last question.

XCAR did a feature inside the Saleen shop, speaking to all of the major names involved. You still end up wanting one, but not as much as if it were actually more powerful, just for the sake of the idea alone.

The Saleen FourSixteen is a cool car as it finally represents a properly tuned Model S, but it’s clear that the aftermarket/tuning scene for such cars still needs to evolve, when even a big name like Saleen is wary of touching the battery pack and the really complicated electronics.

Oh, and what do you think of the new, much louder motor sound?