sport sedans
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It may be the most eagerly sought piece of information in the plug-in electric car world. And Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] ain't talking. The company has a set policy of not disclosing monthly sales figures or production figures until it has to by law. So it'll be another month or so before we know how many Tesla Model S electric cars it built, and how many it delivered, through December 31 of last year. In September, Tesla said it expected to deliver 2,700 to 3,225 cars by the end of the year--down from its initial 2012 estimate of 5,000 cars. Now the prolific members of the unaffiliated Tesla...
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Tesla Model S "Delivery Roulette" Annoys Some Owners, Thrills Others
When you walk into a crowded deli in New York City, you take a number. Rather than jostle in line and try to elbow (or charm) your way to the front, you take the number from the dispenser on the counter and wait till that number is called. First come, first served. Even among rude, pushy New...
David Noland -
Tesla Model S 60-kWh Is More Efficient Than 85-kWh Car: Why?
Sharp-eyed Tesla Model S buffs may be wondering why the mid-range 60-kWh car, which costs $10,000 less, is rated more efficient than the top-of-the-line 85-kWh model. The EPA said last week that the 60-kWh Model S has a range of 208 miles, and its efficiency rating is 95 MPGe (miles per gallon...
David Noland -
2013 Tesla Model S: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2013
Two years ago, our first-ever Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy award went to the first modern battery-electric car sold in the U.S. How far we've come. This year, our third annual winner is the 2013 Tesla Model S, a car that takes the all-electric vehicle to a new and far more elevated level. But...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S 60-kWh Version: EPA Range Rated At 208 Miles
Without any fanfare, the EPA has released its range rating for the second version of the Tesla Model S to come to market. The 2013 Tesla Model S fitted with a 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack has a rated range of 208 miles. That compares to 265 miles for the Model S version with the largest 85-kWh...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Buyers Face Year-End Deadline: $7,500 At Stake
More than 13,000 people have put down deposits to join the waiting list for the Tesla Model S electric sports sedan. Each of us eagerly awaits delivery of our much-decorated, cutting-edge car. But as 2012 winds down, several hundred of us at the front of the queue are especially antsy. It's not...
David Noland -
Tesla being what it is--a venture-funded startup battery-electric automaker in Silicon Valley--every utterance from its CEO Elon Musk becomes newsworthy. So a generalized hint at future development of its main product, the 2012 Tesla Model S electric sport sedan, becomes fodder for news stories. In this case, the brief mention came during Monday's earning call covering the third-quarter financial results of Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]. As noted by AutoblogGreen, CEO Musk said, "There are a few other variants of the Model S that we'll come out with next year that I think are going to be pretty...
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Tesla Model S Production Ramps Up, Company Says In Earnings Call
The biggest question facing tiny Tesla Motors right now is whether it can ramp up production of its Model S all-electric sport sedan and deliver enough of them to paying customers that it can generate the income it needs to keep going. On the quarterly Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] earnings call this...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S Signature Series: Is It Worth The Premium?
The first 1,000 or so 2012 Tesla Model S electric sport sedans to be delivered to U.S. customers will be fully-loaded, limited-edition "Signature" cars. But as delivery dates slip due to early production snags, some owners of Signature cars--called "Sigs" within the Tesla clan--grumble that they're...
David Noland -
Free Supercharging For 60-kWh Tesla Model S: How A Lucky Few Got It
It looks like Tesla may just have done it again. Compared to Nissan's challenged public responses to hot-weather range-loss problems in its Leaf electric car, a recent move by Tesla to offer free Supercharging to early buyers of the 60-kWh version of its 2012 Model S looks like brilliant customer...
David Noland -
Buying A 2012 Tesla Model S: Pros & Cons Of 'Tesla Way' To Order
At last, my number's been called. As the holder of reservation number P 717 for a 2012 Tesla Model S, I've waited more than three years after putting down a $5,000 deposit on the sleek, all-electric sport sedan. Since then, Tesla has kept my interest percolating with e-mail updates and promotional...
David Noland -
Tesla Model S 'Get Amped' Tour: 5,000 Test Drives In Sight
Fourteen of the planned sixteen cities have been completed on the “Getting Amped Tour,”
George Parrott -
Honda has been building hybrid cars since 1999, but it's taken until now for the company to offer a hybrid model in the company's upmarket Acura brand. We spent three days with, and covered 300 miles in, a new 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid four-door sedan. And we have to say, while we like the ILX as a car--and it delivers good gas mileage, averaging 41.4 mpg over our test--the 2013 ILX Hybrid suffers from the same challenges as the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid. The ILX is Acura's smallest model in several years, but underneath, it's very similar to the Civic. The three separate ILX powertrain options...
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2012 Tesla Model S: Seven Little Things A Buyer Doesn't Like
Let's make one thing clear right up front: I think the 2012 Tesla Model S is the coolest freaking car in the history of Western Civilization. I put down my $5,000 deposit more than two years ago. I've chugged the Tesla Kool-Aid, extra-large size. But after a 7-minute spin in a dark green Model S...
David Noland -
2012 Tesla Model S: First Drive Video
With Tesla Motors opening new Tesla Stores at a rapid pace, the 2012 Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan has now been seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Thus far, however, very few of them, however, have gotten behind the wheel. Tesla's working to change that, with a traveling nationwide...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S: First Drive Of All-Electric Sport Sedan
After an hour in a 2012 Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan, one thing became clear: It's a viable car. The Model S gives Tesla Motors a shot at turning into a real car company. That's a provisional judgment; as many journalists have noted, 10-minute drives or an hour driving and riding in...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S Tests: 1 Hour Or Less Is Not A Review
Following its launch of the 2012 Tesla Model S, the Silicon Valley startup is now giving test drives to depositors who've put down $5,000--or more--for the all-electric luxury sport sedan. What Tesla hasn't done, as far as we're aware, is to provide Model S cars to automotive media outlets for...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S All-Electric Sedan: Drive Reviews Roundup
On Friday, Tesla Motors delivered its first production Model S electric sedans to retail customers, an event the company webcast live. Watch the 26-0minute video above if you want to relive the glorious event. While Green Car Reports wasn't there, we've watched the deluge of coverage and read the...
John Voelcker -
They said it couldn't be done, but it looks like Tesla Motors has indeed pulled it off. If all goes to plan, at 3:30 pm Pacific today, CEO Elon Musk and other Tesla executives will hand over the keys of a new 2012 Tesla Model S to the first retail buyer to take delivery of the all-electric luxury sport sedan. The ceremony, which Tesla will webcast live from its Fremont, California, assembly plant, will mark the beginning of a new phase for the venture-funded startup carmaker from Silicon Valley. Now that Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has become a real carmaker, albeit a young one, it faces...
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2012 Tesla Model S: EPA Range Of 265 Miles, 89 MPGe Efficiency
Friday will be a big day for startup electric carmaker Tesla Motors. On that day, it will deliver its first 2012 Model S luxury sport sedans to retail customers in a big webcast event at its Fremont, California, assembly plant. But a couple of days beforehand, the EPA has issued the eagerly awaited...
John Voelcker -
2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Gets Updated Full Hybrid Powertrain
BMW's first-ever hybrid sedan, the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 launched for 2011, was an odd beast. Its mild-hybrid system paired a 455-horsepower 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 with a small electric motor, making it a bit faster than its conventional counterpart but only marginally more fuel-efficient. For 2013...
John Voelcker -
Fisker Emphasizes Its Focus On Product Quality
Fisker wants critics to know that it takes quality seriously, and that the automaker is making an effort to offer superior customer service.
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Tesla Model S: Would YOU Drive It At Just 55 MPH?
We've had a ride in a prototype 2012 Tesla Model S electric luxury sport sedan, and it was impressive. The car was smooth, quiet, and relatively fast at speeds up to 95 mph on the test track surrounding Tesla's assembly plant in Fremont, Cailfornia. Intrepid test driver (and Lotus racer) Joe Nuxoll...
John Voelcker -
Dead Fisker Karmas: One May Be A Fluke, But Is Two A Trend?
First off, just to be clear, the photo above is NOT a dead Fisker. It shows the 2012 Fisker Karma we road-tested three weeks ago parked at a Tesla Motors dealer in Los Angeles. But while our Fisker was running fine that day, Consumer Reports was not so lucky this week. The magazine bought a Fisker...
John Voelcker