Seasoned auto-industry observers and pundits have questioned whether Tesla will ever be a successful carmaker and not just an Internet entrepreneur’s pipe dream. But people who want to purchase Tesla vehicles are voting with their dollars, doubters be damned. After unveiling its new Model X last week in Los Angeles, the company says advance orders for the luxury all-electric crossover exceeded $40 million by the following day. This means that more than 500 people put down $5,000 to reserve the regular production version or $40,000 for the Signature package -- for a vehicle they won’t be able to drive until at least 2014, and without any advertising behind it. The Tesla Model S sedan also received an advance-order bump from the Model X feeding frenzy: Reservations for the all-electric sedan were up 30 percent, according to the company. Citing the “massive media attention” focused on the Model X unveiling, Tesla says the vehicle’s name was the third-most-searched term on Google. And the company noted that on the night of the unveiling last Thursday, traffic to its website increased 2,800 percent, and that two-thirds of all visitors were new to the website. The Model X will be built on the same platform as Model S, but with a longer wheelbase. Tesla must sense that a lot of its customers will be former Audi owners, since the company says that the Model X has approximately the same external dimensions as the Q7, but with 40 percent more interior room. Tesla also says the Model X Performance version will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, making it faster than many sports cars, including the Porsche 911 Carrera. Or maybe it’s the "falcon wing" doors of the Model X that has captivated Tesla fans and some of their cash. [Source: Autoblog]