Published November 13, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
It looks like Motor Trend has differing opinions from some political leaders regarding Tesla’s Model S, and rather than calling it a “loser,” the magazine’s panel of judges has unanimously named it 2013 Car of the Year.
Tesla says it considers this one of the automotive industry's most coveted awards.
According to Tesla, to take top honors, the Model S garnered a unanimous vote from the panel of Motor Trend judges and guest judges, considered among the savviest and toughest critics in the industry.
According to both Tesla and Motor Trend, this is the first time in the publication's memory that every judge was in unanimous agreement.
"Our aspiration with the Model S was to show that an electric car truly can be better than any gasoline car, which is a critical step towards the widespread adoption of sustainable transport," said Elon Musk, Tesla Motors co-founder and CEO. "Nothing illustrates this more clearly than winning Motor Trend's Car of the Year by unanimous decision against a field of exceptional competitors."
The 2013 field of competition included entries from the whole automotive industry; it was initially narrowed to 11 finalists including the Porsche Boxster, BMW 3-series, Lexus GS, and Subaru BRZ.
With a rigid body structure, nearly 50/50 weight distribution and a remarkably low center of gravity, Tesla says the Model S offers the responsiveness and agility expected from the world's best sports cars while providing the ride quality of a luxury performance sedan.
The Model S offers 40-kwh, 60-kwh and 85-kwh battery options; the 85-kwh variant achieves an EPA-estimated range of 265 miles. Tesla says all three batteries use automotive-grade lithium-ion cells.
