Tesla Motors is planning to give us the D.
A mysterious tweet by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk told the world to expect the D and something else on October 9, though there was no mention of what the D, or that something else, is. In Thursday’s teasing tweet, Musk did attach a clue: A photo of the front of a Tesla automobile poking out under a garage with the letter D painted on it.
About time to unveil the D and something else pic.twitter.com/qp23yi59i6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2014
The next vehicle in the Tesla line, following the Model S sedan, is the Model X, a sport utility vehicle that will be available in 2015. The next generation Tesla Motors model was supposed to be named Model E—but Ford Motor Company blocked the potential S-E-X Tesla family with a trademark lawsuit against the Model E, leaving us, presumably, with the D.
It’s unclear what the D will look like, how expensive the D will be. According to Auto Express, the D could be a more affordable Tesla sedan, or a “four-wheel drive, long-wheelbase version of the Model S for Chinese markets.”
With Musk’s announcement, Tesla Motors, the company named for infamously celibate engineer Nikola Tesla, became a member of the group of tech companies whose odd choices of branding immediately invoke the mechanics of human reproduction. The electric car manufacturer joins the likes of Airbnb’s Georgia O’Keefe-like logo, and Apple’s iPad. (In case you still don’t get it, “the D” is a common slang term for penis.)
Any prospective Tesla drivers might have the same questions about the D: Who was the one that decided it was a good name for a luxury electric vehicle? Was it intentional? Did some snarky Tesla exec throw out “the D” as a joke which no one got, leaving him or her to stare wide-eyed as “the D” went all the way through?
https://twitter.com/JessicaKRoy/status/517650758708494336https://twitter.com/j_zimms/status/517656509631971329https://twitter.com/mattbuchanan/status/517669243404689408https://twitter.com/GlennF/status/517509188650823680https://twitter.com/dcseifert/status/517489688396185600
After the rash of jokes and innuendo lobbed at Musk after his initial tweet, he claimed he didn’t consider that the name for his new model might be a little risqué. Musk took it in stride, though, and later admitted the Internet’s (and this writer’s) juvenile sense of humor made him roll on the floor laughing. I hope that tweet was literal.
I love the Internet. Comments had me literally ROFL. No, it wasn't intentional. Glad I didn't mention the other letter!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2014
One thing is likely—when it is unveiled next week, likely everyone will want the D.
Image courtesy of Elon Musk on Twitter
