The 2012 Tesla Model S is set to go on sale by the middle of next year, but there has been only a smattering of pricing and production news about the electric sedan since we got our first look at the car two years ago. Then, out of the blue, a reader snagged these shots of a Model S mule whirring about in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The prototype wore no camouflage—although its loose-fitting body panels made it look as though it had spent some time in a rock tumbler—so we were able to make out a few subtle differences between the production Model S and the cars Tesla has been showing off for a while.

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The car a reader photographed clearly wears more-pedestrian detailing than the Model S we’ve been looking at for two years. The grille looks to be mostly blocked off by a body-color panel, and the car has sprouted lower intakes that house trapezoidal fog lights and some chrome slats—the large, single grille and flush-mounted LED strips the Model S show cars wore are absent here. Moving to the rear of the car, not much appears to have changed for production. The lower valance is a bit less extreme and has a more-finished look than the Model S concept’s. We’ll get the full picture as the Model S nears its on-sale date, when we will also find out if Tesla has been able to keep the car’s price to a promised $49,900 after a tax rebate.
C&D