An all-electric SUV may sound like an oxymoron, but Tesla Motors has always been on the cutting edge, and so it is with its newest vehicle.

“Tesla is a hot brand with a lot of positive buzz, and the styling of the Model X is a major selling point,” said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst at Kelley Blue Book.

Picture a family hauler with a front windshield that sweeps back and over the front seats, a driver’s door that opens on approach and closes itself once the driver is inside, and rear falcon-wing doors that open upward, needing less than a foot of clearance and fitted with sensors so they won’t trap hands or hit cars parked next to them.

Add to this a 90-kilowatt-hour battery that goes 257 miles of a full charge and a feature that makes the car, like its self-driving counterparts, know when to automatically brake, and you have what Dan Dolev, a Jefferies Equity Research analyst, calls “probably one of the best cars made in the world.”

All of this, of course, comes at a cost. A fully loaded performance model is $142,000 — with the base model around $93,000 — although Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company will eventually offer a less expensive version with a smaller battery.

But why an SUV after the company’s sporty two-seater and elegant Model S sedan?

“The name of the game for Tesla right now is diversification,” said Edmunds.com Director of Industry Analysis Jessica Caldwell. “Model X is a smart step toward capturing the attention of high-end SUV shoppers.

“And while the Model S skews heavily male, the Model X is an opportunity for Tesla to expand its customer base by appealing to more female consumers, who make up a strong share of crossover SUV buyers.”