AutoGuide.com

Letting you have your say, AutoGuide.com has tabulated the votes of its first ever Reader's Choice Car of the Year Awards with four winners in six categories and a major coup for Tesla and its new Model S electric luxury sedan.

"Polling readers, as well as reaching out to the over 30 million monthly visitors on the over 360 automotive forums that make up the AutoGuide.com network, the Reader's Choice Awards are about letting consumers pick their favorite new vehicles," said AutoGuide.com Editor-in-Chief Colum Wood. "By reaching out to car shoppers as well as to the enthusiasts on our many forums, we're able to take the pulse of what vehicles really resonate in the marketplace."

That said, it's clear the Tesla Model S is a fan favorite, taking home not only the overall Reader's Choice Car of the Year award, but also picking up awards in the Reader's Choice categories of Luxury Car of the Year and Green Car of the Year.

More: 2013 AutoGuide.com Reader's Choice Car of the Year Winners Announced on AutoGuide.com

Lone Ranger

Seriously?

Tesla S again. First MT now, AG. Surely no shills in the mix of votes.

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2009 2.5X, Dark Gray Metallic

Lando

Automobile Magazine's 2013 Car of the Year
Motor Trend 2013 Car of the Year
Popular Science's Auto Grand Award Winner Best of What's New list 2012
Time Magazine Best 25 Inventions of the Year 2012 award
CNET Tech Car of the Year for 2012

Yeah, it's a conspiracy.

npaladin2000

Ever notice we've almost got enough "Car of the Year" awards floating around for every production car to get one?

forester06x

I just don't get how the Tesla S keeps winning all these COTY contests. It's nowhere near affordable or practical for the average family. It has extremely limited range compared to internal combustion engines- 300 miles, while pretty good for an EV, (keep in mind that's on the highest capacity battery pack- $$$) must be driving like a grandma. A 4-5hr charge time with the 240v charger- don't even think about how long it would take on standard 120v-if there is a 120v charger option standard with a 240v upgrade. It takes maybe 5 minutes for my car to fill with gas and it's good for another 300+ miles?

With the Tesla S starting at $50K, and that's with the lowest capacity 40kWh battery pack with only 160 mile range, it's not exactly affordable for a car that you can only use as a people-hauler around town. You can't take it on long road trips because of the charge time/range, you can't haul much stuff with it because it's not a pick-up truck (duh), you can't go offroad with it because it's too low to the ground.

This is a sports sedan, and does the average American family first look to a sports sedan for practicality around town and beyond? The Tesla S may be an up-and-coming contender with Infiniti, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz for high-performance sports sedans, but that's not in the financial cards of the majority of Americans.

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3 Pedals and Blower Whine (WIP)-The GolfBall

pleiad7

This. The car has absolutely no mass appeal, it's limited in its application, and it's to expensive for what it is. I know of no one who would even consider purchasing one, yet the automotive press goes gaga about it. Not to mention, Tesla has yet to prove that their business model is viable. So far they have only survived with the help of a $465 million loan form the Dept. of Energy. Solyndra, anyone?

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-Silke
04 FXT PP PSM ~ "Subed"
98 Forester S ~ "Slynki"

Lando

Of course not, that's what a Camry is for. The Model S competitors are the German luxury cars like the Porsche Panamera, the BMW 650i Gran Coupe, the Audi S7, and the Mercedes-Benz CLS550 and it competes well with all of them in price and performance. I will never buy cars in this price range, but there are plenty of high income people who can afford this class of car. Tesla already had orders and deposits for 13000 cars in September 2012, and production is limited to 20,000 cars per year. Those who decide to purchase the Tesla will provide the financing for the R&D for the next model from Tesla which will be more affordable and attractive to mainstream buyers. The factory in Fremont has the capacity for 20 times current volume.

Never underestimate Elon Musk. Like Steve Jobs, he has always been ten steps ahead of everyone else. In addition, he is the founder, CEO and CTO of SpaceX; Chairman of the board of SolarCity the company building the charging stations for the Tesla.

We have to face the facts, oil is a finite resource. The price per gallon has already increased tenfold in my lifetime and during my daughter's life it will probably increase tenfold again. The higher the price goes, the more attractive electric powered vehicles will become. Internal combustion engines are extremely inefficient and although much improved during the last 50 years, are never going to reach the efficiency of electric motors.

Battery technology has also benefited from breakthroughs recently. Although this tech is not commercially available yet, this area of research is a major focus of labs throughout the world because despite what the oil companies and politicians tell us, we will not be able to drill our way out of the impending oil depletion. Check out Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology

We needed a company like Tesla to push the envelope. No, the Model S is by no means a mainstream car, but it is a breakthrough that shows the future of the automobile. Twenty years ago I paid $2200 for a my first laptop computer that was primitive compared to the $500 laptop that I bought recently. Prices for the first versions of cellular phones, laptop computers and flat-screen televisions start high but drop in subsequent product cycles, and this will be true for electric powered vehicles.

Tesla Model S is getting all of these awards because not only is it a good car, it is a good electric car that points the way to the future.

I for one hope Elon Musk is successful because I like giving the finger to Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP, Shell and the rest of the oil corporations who hold us hostage and pay no Federal corporate taxes.

npaladin2000

Maybe, but it is still a specialty vehicle, and these things will only be a success if they can be sold profitably.

That being said, it's nice to see a company specializing in electric cars, rather than also building electric cars. GM, Nissan, and the like are mired in "standard car" paradigms, because that's where their experience lies. Tesla is thinking outside of the box a bit, and it's helping. Electric cars will be significantly different animals from ICE cars.

They still need to figure out how to make a profit. Then again, so do some regular car manufacturers. ;)

Lando

Here are a couple of videos.

Model S
Model X All Wheel Drive, Seven passengers and tons of Luggage.


Fast forward to 5 minute mark

forester06x

What is with new cars these days, their wheels all look like the blades of a jet turbine. I wonder if the angled turbine-blade design of the spokes pulls air into the wheel area to cool the brakes?

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3 Pedals and Blower Whine (WIP)-The GolfBall