Tesla Model S

Tesla has reliability issues, owners passionate, forgiving

Tesla vehicles represent an automotive dichotomy. It’s the safest car ever tested, but more than one Tesla model has had reliability issues. Multiple issues have been reported by automotive publications and from owners of the Model S, which debuted in 2012. The Model X (2015) has also had reliability problems with its complex design. Tesla owners, however, have been more than forgiving, according to a new J.D. Power report titled: “Tesla: Beyond The Hype.” “Owners see themselves as pioneers who enjoy being early adopters of new technology,” said Kathleen Rizk, J.D. Power director, global automotive consulting, in announcing the study. The report details the owners of the high-performance electric car, like owners of other industry-changing car, care less about new

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Tesla Model S sets record as best-testing car in history

Consumer Reports has announced what other automotive publications have also determined in other models of the high-end Tesla. The electric vehicle has tested better than any car in history of the magazine’s respected ratings systems. Specifically, the all-wheel drive the 2015 Model S P85D sedan tallied 103 points in the magazine’s system that by definition doesn’t surpass 100 points. Consumer Reports’ staff reported: “The P85D is brutally quick, with instant acceleration. The car’s thrust is forceful and immediate. Its near-instant g-forces can otherwise be achieved only by leaping off a building—literally.” “That this electric car accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds without an engine’s roar makes it frighteningly eerie in its silent velocity. It’s so explosively quick

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Tesla gets another (obvious) honor: quickest electric car

The Tesla Model S and Chevy Volt have little in common beyond their respective segment shares in the electric vehicle industry. The Volt is a wise choice in the entry-level electric car segment. It may the slowest among the top-17 electric vehicles in the standard 0-60 mph acceleration test. But it offers a good balance between performance, comfort and price. The Tesla Model S is a wise choice in the high-end electric segment. It’s the fastest vehicle currently available in the mainstream automobile market and it’s among the fastest cars, electric or gas, street legal or not. Motor Trend recently named the Tesla Model S as one of the top-10 American cars in history. The Tesla has also been designated

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2014 Tesla Model S innovation detailed in video

The 2014 Tesla Model S and its older siblings have been bombarded with awards. In its latest honor, The Tesla was Consumer Reports’ top pick overall among 10 categories of cars, light trucks, and SUVs. The top-10 list was selected from more than 260 vehicles the organization has recently tested. The magazine considers the Model S a “technological tour de force, while pricey, is brimming with innovation.” Consumer Reports rated the Model S with a score of 99 out of 100, becoming the magazine’s best car ever tested. “If it (the Tesla) could recharge in any gas station in three minutes, this car would score about 110,” said Jake Fisher, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports. Fisher called the

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Tesla honored again, Consumer Reports’ best overall car

For the first time in four years, Consumer Reports has named a top overall pick in its annual best vehicle list. The winner is the 2014 Tesla Model S electric car. In 2010, the last time an overall pick was selected, the Lexus LS 460L received the honor. The magazine’s 10 top picks this year included five Japanese nameplates, including Honda’s Accord and Odyssey, Subaru’s Impreza and Forester and Toyota’s Prius hybrid. German manufacturers had two vehicles on the list, the BMW 328i and the Audi A6. American manufacturers were represented by Tesla and the Chrysler Ram 1500 pickup truck. It was the first time since 1998 a Chrysler vehicle made the list. The Jeep Grand Cherokee achieved top pick

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Rent a Tesla? It’s cheap at $500 per day compared to a Ferrari

Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Porsche Audi and Mercedes-Benz are “dream cars,” to rent. At least that’s how Hertz describes its rental program of top-end cars that now will include arguably the most unique vehicle in the top echelon lot — Tesla. Hertz, Enterprise and other rental car agencies are now offering limited Tesla Model S models with different battery sizes in selected Southern California locations. Like Hertz, Enterprise has a special name for its high-end fleet. The Tesla is in the agency’s Exotic Car Collection. “The Tesla Model S is a new luxury sedan that is transforming the way the public looks at electric vehicles,” said Adam Belsky, Enterprise’s group sales and marketing manager for the Exotic Car Collection in

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Tesla Model S electrifies NHTSA, gets best safety rating ever

The Tesla Model S and the carmaker’s owner Elon Musk haven’t needed much publicity lately. The electric sports car and its innovative inventor are at the forefront of the auto industry. But the performance-oriented, expensive car is now getting another accolade. It’s been awarded an extraordinary, five-star overall rating — the highest rating ever determined  — by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Tesla Model S was given an overall 5-star safety rating and the same rating in every subcategory. The independent NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, however safety levels better than 5 stars are captured in the overall Vehicle Safety Score (VSS) provided to manufacturers. The Model S achieved a new combined record of 5.4

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2013 Tesla Model S claims Car of the Year honors

The Tesla Model S sport sedan, overcoming the financial troubles of its owner, long delays, pricing increases and bad press, has been named as the 2013 Automobile of the Year by Automobile magazine. “It’s the performance that won us over,” said the magazine’s editor-in-chief Jean Jennings when announcing the award. “The crazy speed builds silently and then pulls back the edges of your face. It had all of us endangering our licenses.”The magazine’s road-test editor Christopher Nelson was equally impressed. “Driving the Model S is decidedly not like piloting a Nissan Leaf or an electric Smart,” he said. One of Automobile’s contributors, Ezra Dyer arranged a race with a 560-horsepower, $89,900 BMW M5 sports sedan, seeing which vehicle could first

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Jay Leno continues green car passion, test drives Tesla Model S

Jay Leno likes all kinds of cars and motorcycles. He likes performance and practicality, history and craftsmanship. And Leno also adapted early to the hybrid and electric car industry. He has an ancient steam engine machine, a 1909 Baker Electric and one of the first of the first generation of Honda Insights. It’s of little surprise, therefore, that Leno has taken a keen interest in Tesla. Leno describes Tesla as an electric car that doesn’t look like an electric car. The original Tesla Roadster, Leno, says debuted “loosely based on a Lotus.” The Tesla Model S, the comedian notes, takes the Tesla into another area. It not only still performs and looks like a sports car, it has impressive numbers,

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Tesla delivers new Model S with high hopes for luxury electric sedan

The Tesla Model S, which the controversial carmaker calls "the world's first premium electric sedan," has arrived to its initial customers with a starting price of just under $50,000 after federal tax incentives. The "affordable" sedan is about half the price of its older, svelte sibling, the two-door Roadster. With its vast array of options, the new Tesla's price can reach nearly $100,000. "It's certainly not mass market by General Motors or Toyota standards," Edmunds.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs told NPR Morning Edition co-host Renee Montagne. "Tesla says they're going to make 5,000 of these this year, and then increase the production next year. So it still really is a niche vehicle." According to Tesla, the performance version of the

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Tesla debuting three new retail stores to unveil Model S

Tesla Motors, which next year will introduce Tesla Model S, the newest offering from the California-based, high-end electric sports car manufacturer, is opening three more retail stores in North America. Tesla Bellevue Square at the plush shopping center in Bellevue, Washington, opens today (November 5, 2011). It will be followed by Tesla store opening in Chicago's Oakbrook Center (Nov. 12) and a store at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California (Nov. 19). The Bellevue Square store will feature a display of a Model S Beta prototype and drivetrain components. All of the new stores, like the current Tesla sales areas, are designed to demonstrate the technology involved in the new Model S and the benefits of driving electric. Specifically, the

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