Tesla unveils Model Y SUV with 230-mile range

HAWTHORNE, Calif (KABC) -- Tesla unveiled a new all-electric SUV on Thursday night that the automaker hopes will win over consumers looking for an all-electric alternative in the most popular segment of the auto market.

Cheers from a hangar-packed crowd of Tesla customers, employees and members of the media welcomed a blue Model Y as it rolled out onto a stage next to the automaker's other models.

"It has the functionality of an SUV, but it will ride like a sports car," CEO Elon Musk told the crowd. "This thing will be really tight on corners and we expect it will be the safest midsize SUV in the world by far."

The Model Y seats seven and has a panoramic glass roof and a 15-inch touchscreen interface for accessing all the car's controls.

The all-electric, mid-size SUV will start at $39,000 for the standard range version, which the company said can go 230 miles on a single charge and accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds. The long-range model, which starts at $47,000, has a range of up to 300 miles on a single charge - less range than the Model 3.

Musk predicted that the company will sell more Model Y SUVs than Model X and 3 combined. The Model Y is expected to be produced in 2020.

The Model Y comes 11 years after the company's first model, the Tesla Roadster.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.