Tesla Model S named Motor Trend 2013 Car of the Year

[onehandle]

Source: AFP

Tesla's Model S has become the first electric vehicle to win the Motor Trend Car of the Year award and the first car to win via a unanimous decision.

The Tesla Model S has this week been voted Car of the Year in US automotive publication Motor Trend's 2013 version of the annual award, beating out competition from Porsche, BMW, Lexus and Subaru and becoming the first electric car to win the award in the process.

Aimed squarely at the premium sedan market where quality, comfort, space and performance are all prerequisites to entry, the Model S offers the immediate acceleration of an electric engine with the 50:50 weight distribution of a sports car for perfect balance. What's more, because the motor and battery pack are built into the floor of the vehicle, the center of gravity is much lower, further improving performance and handling.

Read more: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/tesla-model-named-motor-trend-2013-car-123201982.html

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This is the car I hope to replace my 2012 45th Anniversary Camaro with in a couple of years.

[Stargazer09]

1. Looks like a nice car

Too small for my family, and possibly not built for my very tall husband, but still very nice.

[dmallind]

7. Too small? About Taurus sized?

A bit wider, a bit shorter, a fraction more leg room and a fraction less shoulder room - nigh identical passenger cabin volume. This is a full sized car by any dimension - far larger than most. If it doesn't work for you what would you have done (or what did you do) before big SUVs and large minivans - which are the only things appreciably bigger?

[Stargazer09]

11. I know

It is a great car for its class.

I have five children living at home, and my husband and I are both over 6' tall. My oldest daughter is only a fraction of an inch shorter than I am and at 13, she is still growing. Her younger brothers are in the 75th and 99th percentiles for height, and her younger sisters are in the 97th and 80th percentiles for height. Our next vehicle is going to need to have lots of leg and head room for our unusually tall family, in addition to seating for at least seven people.

Maybe Tesla will make an SUV before we need to upgrade our minivan.

[Ash_F]

15. Unless you are like 7' 4" this car is going to feel roomy as far as legroom goes.

More than any minivan anyway. But the minivan wins on seat count. You could seat five here but that means someone sits in middle back which isn't ideal for safety.

[liberal N proud]

12. It is a sweet car and not small at all

It is larger that the BMW 3 series.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. How much does it cost? And are they really available now?

[onehandle]

3. Available now. 58k to 106k (minus $7500 tax credit), depending on the engine and options.

It's a luxury sports car.

[NYC_SKP]

5. Act now, they're selling out of the 2012 and 2013 delivery inventory.

https://www.teslamotors.com/own

[onehandle]

6. Too soon. My GM car just turned one.

I wish Tesla luck, and will look into one in a couple of years.

[NYC_SKP]

18. I saw two Electric Fisker Karmas today in SF. Sweet.

At the Moscone Center.

http://onward.fiskerautomotive.com/en-us/karma/

The black one wasn't as pretty as the silver one, which didn't hang around long enough for me to snap a pic:

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

4. Most Motor Trend cars of the year are fairly affordable

It's almost pointless when they pick a high-priced model. Not very useful to most people.

Here's a link to prices, but note the faint print, that the prices are AFTER factoring in a $7500 tax credit.

http://www.teslamotors.com/models/options

I'd try to get another year out of that Camaro

[AAO]

8. I'm driving my 2005 Prius into the ground-I give it 3-4 more years-then I'll see what Tesla can do!

[nichomachus]

9. Driving my Honda Fit into the ground

6+ years old with 45,000. I figure I'll go into the ground before it does.

[onehandle]

10. I drove a Honda CRX for 17 years.

In the end, the steering wheel was rotting in my hands.

The only major expense I had was a new radiator.

Sold it for three and a half grand.

[BanzaiBonnie]

13. Poke in your eye Mitt Romney

speaking of "battery operated cars" as if they were toys. Phhhhheh!

[Canuckistanian]

14. Nice.

[onehandle]

16. Looks a little like a Maserati Quattroporte.

[truthisfreedom]

17. rMoney called Tesla one of Obama's losers. He was and is completely unaware how freakishly cool

this company is. The president of Tesla also heads SpaceX (which is restocking the International Space Station with its reusable rockets) and Solar City, the biggest solar panel installer in the country. rMoney is a loser. A total loser who has no idea what's happening around him.

[KamaAina]

19. Well, they are right next to Solyndra

on I-880 in Fremont, CA (right across the Bay from SiliValley).

On a serious note, their Fremont factory is part of what was once "Nummi", a joint venture between GM and Toyota -- right up until GM received their large bailout checks, then pulled the plug.

[joshcryer]

21. Yeah, that was laughable. Tesla is doing quite fine.

Romney isn't really a businessman who actually creates something, his entire income came from destroying, so he can't grasp that a company needs to grow and sometimes needs loans so it can foster. As far as return on investment Tesla is probably one of the greatest investments the US has ever made.

[cui bono]

22. I got to test drive a Tesla Roadster at work one day.

They brought one to where I was working to promote electric cars. I waited in line on my lunch hour and just made it, they cut it off a couple people after me. (There were also 5 Nissan Leafs with no wait, but they weren't as cool.)

That thing is fast! The guy who rode with me said he beat out a sports car once, can't remember which make he said, Maseratti or Ferrari or something.

[joshcryer]

20. Two more generations and Tesla will become bigger than GM.

They are going to make a lot of money and save consumers a lot of money. It's going to be really neat.