Tesla introduces Model S 70D

Tesla Motors has announced a new entry-level version of its ground-breaking Model S sedan, the 70D.

Priced at $102,400 "plus luxury car tax, on-road costs and stamp duty", which brings the price to $110,508 plus registration and statutory charges, the Model S 70D costs about $9000 more than the previous base Model S 60 ($101,537 plus ORCs), but more than $17,000 cheaper than the top-shelf P85+ ($127,800 plus ORCs).

As the name suggests, the 70D comes with a 70kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which is larger than the base model's 60kWh battery but smaller than the 85kWh pack in the P85 models.

As such, Tesla's claimed driving range increases from the Model S 60's 390km on the European NEDC test cycle, to 442km – less than P85D's 480km range and the 502km range of both the rear-drive 85 and the all-wheel drive 85D.

The 70D comes with the same dual-motor all-wheel drive system as the 85D models including the P85D flagship, which Tesla claims to be the "world's fastest sedan" with a 3.3-second 0-100km/h time and will replace the rear-drive 85D in Australia around mid-2015 for around the same price.

The new 245kW 70D isn't quite as quick as either the 515kW P85D or the 315kW 85D, which is claimed to hit 100km/h in 4.6 seconds, but Tesla says it's still good for 100km/h in 5.4 seconds (down from 6.2 seconds for the 225kW Model S 60) on its way to a top speed of 225km/h, making it quicker and just as fast as the 270kW rear-drive 85 (0-100km/h in 5.6).

Standard 70D features will include Autopilot hardware, navigation, supercharging, trip planner and range assurance, lane departure warning, parking sensors, automatic emergency braking, automatic keyless entry and Tesla's latest 6.2 software with the ability to receive free over-the-air updates that will improve functionality and performance over time.

Meantime, Tesla has also unveiled three new paint colours available across the Model S range: Ocean Blue, Obsidian Black and Warm Silver.