What distinctive door design does the Tesla Model X use for its rear passenger doors?

The Tesla Model X uses falcon-wing doors for its rear passenger doors. These powered doors hinge upward through a pair of articulated sections, allowing them to open in relatively narrow spaces while still providing access to the second and third rows.

Tesla selected the design to make rear-seat entry easier in a large sport-utility vehicle. Conventional doors can require substantial side clearance, while the Model X’s sensors and articulated hinges are designed to monitor nearby obstacles as the doors move.

The Model X was unveiled in 2012 and entered production in 2015. Its doors became one of the vehicle’s most recognizable visual features, although they also made the vehicle mechanically more complex than a typical SUV.

Falcon-wing doors are often incorrectly called gull-wing doors. Gull-wing doors generally use a single hinge arrangement and lift upward from the roofline. The Model X system has two hinged sections, which is why Tesla uses the separate “falcon-wing” name.