Tesla Charges Ahead As Consumer Reports' Top Car
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Tesla Motors has been electrifying the automobile industry for several years and on Tuesday was rewarded by Consumer Reports which named the Model S the best overall vehicle.
Tesla's Model S is a sedan that has been praised by nearly every automobile magazine, blog, and other publications. Consumer Reports said it chose the Model S was chosen for "exceptional performance and its many impressive technological innovations."
"When you put your foot on the accelerator the car's going to grab you right off the line," Said Graham Carroll, Tesla's Southeast Regional Sales Manager. "It's going to feel like a roller coaster for most people."
Still, getting your hands on a Model S will set you back a lot of money. A base Model S with a 208 mile battery range costs $68,070 after a federal tax credit. Moving up the model levels to the 85 kilowatt hour battery will run you $75,070 and the performance 85 kwh costs $87,070.
Tesla has been selling the vehicles at a rapid pace, expecting to move about 35,000 Model S' this year. But, in comparison, the top selling U.S. car the Toyota Camry sold 408,000 vehicles in 2013.
Tesla may not be done trying to revolutionize the car market. The electric car company headed by billionaire Elon Musk is reportedly trying to put together an electric car that can be mass produced and cost in neighborhood of $35-$45,000 dollars to make it more accessible to more consumers.
The car company's stock has skyrocketed in recent months and thanks to a new report from Morgan Stanley Tuesday hit another record high of $259.20 a share. Morgan Stanley's report said the company's quest to help build better batteries and continue developing the technology could help it corner the market on the technology.
Elsewhere in the Consumer Reports car list, the magazine named the following cars as tops in their category.
- Small SUV: Subaru Forester
- Midsized SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe
- Compact Car: Subaru Impreza
- Midsized Sedan: Honda Accord
- Luxury Car: Audi A6
- Sports Sedan: BMW 328i
- Green Car: Toyota Prius
- Pickup Truck: Ram 1500
- Minivan: Honda Odyssey