Tesla has announced that it will launch a new generation of the Roadster in 2014. Unlike the current model, which will go out of production at the end of this year, the next Roadster will not be built on a Lotus platform, but rather on a “third-generation platform,” a shortened version of the chassis used for the Model S.

The Roadster may have represented a financial bath for Tesla, but it was a spritz of Champagne for the EV market, as people started to think of EVs as sizzling, not just sensible. The company’s future plans include both adjectives. By the time the new Roadster reigns o’er the racetrack, Tesla could be a contender in the higher-stakes battle for the suburban carport, as the new platform will also be the basis for several more affordable models.

“This platform will spawn a range of cars in the next four to five years,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed in an interview with Autocar. “It’ll be a more mass-market platform for cars like a 3-series as well as the new Roadster. These cars will supplement the Model S range.”