Tesla Model X SUV Unveiled: The Electric Car With 'Falcon Wings' [PHOTOS]

Tesla Motors unveiled the Model X, its third all-electric car, Thursday. The Model X is a hybrid between between an SUV and a minivan with many similarities to the Model S sedan.  One distinct, eye-catching feature of the Model X, however, is its "falcon wing" back door design.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk told Mashable that a major advantage of the "falcon wings" is that the doors make it easier to get in and out of the car even if the Model X is parked in a tight parking spot. The back doors open upward and bend in the middle to make parking in tight places easier. An adult can also stand up straight while the doors are open, allowing drivers to pack groceries into the car or a child into a car-seat without difficulty.

The Model X is expected to be priced similarly to the Model S in a range between $50,000 and $100,000. The Model X and Model S have many similarities, such as sharing the same chassis and drive train. However, Mashable reports that the heavier Model X will have a 10% shorter range per battery charge.

The Model X is expected to go into production by 2014. It will be available in rear- and four-wheel drive versions. According to CNN, the four-wheel-drive version will have a zero-to-sixty acceleration time in 4.4 seconds thanks to its two independent electric motors.

"It actually had more performance than a Porsche 911 Carrera," Musk told CNN.

The Model S will be in production this summer. 

The falcon wing rear doors of the Tesla Motors Model X electric vehicle are seen at its unveiling at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. on Feb. 9, 2012.

Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk unveils the Tesla Motors Model X electric vehicle at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. on Feb. 9, 2012.

People test drive the Tesla Motors Model X electric vehicle at its unveiling at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. on Feb. 9, 2012. Tesla Motors Inc on Thursday showed off a protoype of its Model X, a battery-powered SUV that represents the company's bet that consumers will buy a range of electric vehicles spun from a common platform.

People look at the Tesla Motors Model X electric vehicle at its unveiling at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. on Feb. 9, 2012. Tesla Motors Inc on Thursday showed off a protoype of its Model X, a battery-powered SUV that represents the company's bet that consumers will buy a range of electric vehicles spun from a common platform.

People look at the Tesla Motors Model X electric vehicle at its unveiling at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. on Feb. 9, 2012. Tesla Motors Inc on Thursday showed off a protoype of its Model X, a battery-powered SUV that represents the company's bet that consumers will buy a range of electric vehicles spun from a common platform.

Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk unveils the Tesla Motors Model X electric vehicle at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. on Feb. 9, 2012. Tesla Motors Inc on Thursday showed off a protoype of its Model X, a battery-powered SUV that represents the company's bet that consumers will buy a range of electric vehicles spun from a common platform.