What was Tesla's first production automobile, introduced before the Model S?

Tesla's first production automobile was the Tesla Roadster. Based on the Lotus Elise sports-car platform, it entered production in 2008 and used lithium-ion battery cells to provide an electric driving range that was notable for its time.

The Roadster helped demonstrate that a battery-electric car could be a high-performance vehicle rather than only a small commuter car. Tesla produced the original Roadster until 2012, after which the Model S became the company’s principal vehicle for expanding into the broader premium-car market.

The Roadster is sometimes confused with the second-generation Roadster announced by Tesla in 2017, which has not entered regular production in the same way as the original. Tesla’s later lineup included the Model X, Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck.