Tesla Motors announced that it is going to stop production of its Roadster electric vehicle (EV) by the end of this year.

The high-speed model, which is built in the UK for Tesla by Lotus, will end production after the 2,500th vehicle is put together, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk told the San Francisco Chronicle that there aren’t many vehicles left.

There are only a “handful” of models left in the US, Musk is reported as saying, with just a month or two to go until the vehicle is totally sold out.

In Europe and Japan, buyers have probably another six months, before the inventory runs dry, Musk said.

Tesla has always been clear that it will wind down production of the Roadster ahead of the launch of its forthcoming Tesla Model S, although the new dates are likely to surprise buyers who were expecting to be able to buy the $109,000 vehicle for longer.

The Model S (pictured below) is a sedan model which is likely to be priced closer to a mass-market level than the high-performance Roadster.

Its performance credentials include a 0-100km/h time of less than six seconds, along with a choice of range options of between 260 kilometers and 480 kilometers.

The Model S is expected to hit the market at the start of next year. A total of 5,000 of the models are set to be produced in 2012, rising to 20,000 in 2013.

Source: AFPrelaxnews