Tesla lays claim to world's fastest production car

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Tuesday, August 23, 2016
In this Monday, April 25, 2016, file photo, a man sits behind the steering wheel of a Tesla Model S electric car on display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.
In this Monday, April 25, 2016, file photo, a man sits behind the steering wheel of a Tesla Model S electric car on display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.
kgo-AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Tesla Motors says a version of the Model S electric car is now the quickest production car in the world from zero to 60 miles per hour.

The company says the Model S P100D sedan can go to 60 in 2.5 seconds.

RELATED: Consumer Reports calls for Tesla to disable hands-free driving

CEO Elon Musk says the LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder with gas engines were faster, but they were million-dollar specialty cars that can no longer be bought new.

The P100D has a 100 kilowatt-hour battery pack that extends the car's range to about 315 miles. The previous top range was 294 miles. The new battery also is available on the Model X SUV.

New customers can pay $10,000 for the larger battery pack. Existing owners must pay $20,000 because their existing batteries must be recycled.

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