Tesla Model X: As Fast as a Porsche 911 Turbo With Falcon Wing Doors

Tesla unveiled its news Model X SUV on Tuesday, a souped-up family car that gives passengers panoramic views and has the same acceleration as a sports car.

The long-anticipated Model X—the prototype of which was announced by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk in 2012 but whose release has been delayed several times—was revealed by Musk at the company's factory in California, Wired reported.

The seven-seater car boasts some impressive specs. According to Tesla, it can run 250 miles on a single charge of its 90 kWh battery and is capable of going from 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) in 3.2 seconds when the car's aptly-named 'ludicrous mode' is turned on. That's the same as a Porsche 911 Turbo, tech news site The Verge reported.

Prices of the Model X have not yet been announced, though Tesla requires a $5,000 reservation payment if you want to get in line for one of the cars, which the company estimates it will start delivering in late 2016. Wired reported that the Model X 90D will start at $132,000, while the P90D model—which comes with ludicrous mode—will cost $142,000.

Perhaps the most spectacular feature of the Model X is its so-called Falcon Wings—passenger doors which open upwards and require just 1 ft clearance, according to Tesla. The doors and roof come fitted with built-in sensors which stop the doors crashing into garage roofs or other cars. They also give easy access to the back two rows of seating, which Tesla say provide ample space for another five passengers plus gear in addition to the two front seats.

The car comes with a huge windshield which Musk described as the largest piece of glass ever used in a car.

The Model X is Tesla's second model in production beyonds its Model S sedan, which was launched in 2012. According to Reuters, Musk estimated that 25,000 customers have pre-ordered the new car, and also admitted that the company may have gone a little overboard on the engineering. "There is far more there than is really necessary to sell a car. And some of the things are so difficult, they make the car better but the difficulty of engineering those parts is so high," he said.

Six of the cars were delivered on Tuesday to a select group of Tesla board members, including Musk himself, as well as investors and friends of the CEO. Tesla will be hoping that the new model can provide a healthy stream of revenue: the electric car manufacturer reportedly loses $4,000 on every Model S car it sells at present.