Carsales has created its own piece of history by naming for the first time an electric car the winner of its prestigious Car of the Year title – handing the award to the Tesla S luxury sedan.
Even before it began selling its first car in 2008 (the Roadster), Tesla Motors, under the guidance of billionaire founder Elon Musk, was making an impression in the trillion dollar motor vehicle industry. Today with global sales approaching 100,000 it continues to make waves.
“The all-electric sedan has grabbed headlines around the world. But behind the hype, the reality is it is a game changer,” says carsales CEO Greg Roebuck.
“While Tesla is a fledgling car company, it has set the tone for the next generation of automobile evolution. Tesla will change the auto industry. Companies with 100 year histories are scrambling to catch up.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]”Tesla has done so with innovative technology and a fearless desire to sidestep existing practices. The Model S is conventional in its looks but ultimately unconventional in its execution. Its internet connectivity allowing vehicle updates and new features without the need to visit a service centre is a true innovation and the real time, always current mapping which includes traffic info is a really nice touch,” Roebuck said. [/social_quote]
“Our aspiration at Tesla was to show that the Model S can truly be better than a petrol car, helping overcome perceived barriers and advancing the adoption of sustainable transport,” said Heath Walker, Tesla Motors spokesperson.
“This is now further enforced through winning carsales Car of the Year against a field of exceptional competitors.”
Several manufacturers were multi winners – three for Mazda (CX-3, CX-5, 6 Wagon), Porsche for the Macan and Cayman, Mercedes-Benz for its C-Class and CLS-Class and Ford (Fiesta and Ranger).
For Mercedes, the C-Class (last year’s carsales Car of the Year) and CLS-Class won both categories in 2014 showing it has a stranglehold on the prestige market.
Like the Tesla Model S, the Ford Ranger also won two awards – as the best off-road 4×4 as well as the Best Tradie Vehicle.
Despite all its troubles, the Volkswagen Golf retained its title as Best Family Car Under $30,000 while Skoda won its first award with its Fabia as best First Car.
For six vehicles, they won their category for the second year in a row. They were:
· Mazda CX-5 for Best SUV under $50,000
· Porsche Macan for Best SUV over $50,000
· Porsche Cayman for Best Performance Car over $100,000
· Mercedes-Benz C-Class for Best Prestige Car under $100,000
· Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class for Best Prestige Car over $100,000
· Volkswagen Golf for Best Family Car under $30,000
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Tesla Model S also won the Best Green Car of 2015 – but a green car that can out-accelerate all but the very quickest supercars.
Mr Roebuck said the carsales judges praised the Model S for its advancement of technology, sorted driving dynamics and realistic real world range – in top-spec more than triple that of other all-electric vehicles.
He said Tesla’s quality construction and user friendly infotainment interface were also commended by the judges as was the quiet ride and spacious cabin.
“It’s not perfect – but as a first ‘mass market’ product, Model S is very good and priced competitively against its luxury opposition. It is right up there with the best of the conventional vehicles eligible for judging in 2015. The Model S delivered on all our data based criteria. It was very close to being named one of our Prestige class winners in addition to the Green award.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]”The Model S is a deserved winner, and truly a car that will influence the design of vehicles globally for many years to come.[/social_quote]
“Sales of Tesla in Australia are still in their infancy but there is no denying it is one of the most important cars ever invented. There is no doubt the accolades will continue for a long time yet,” Mr Roebuck said.
For the judging criteria, Redbook data is a key factor in deciding carsales Car of the Year. The key point of difference between carsales Car of the Year and other awards is the combination of critical expert evaluation and purchase and ownership data. The motoring.com.au crew supply the former but the data and number crunching is the domain of Redbook.
All the 2015 winners:
Carsales Car of the Year 2015 – Tesla Model S
Best First Car – Skoda Fabia
Best City Car – Mazda CX-3
Best Family Car under $30,000 – Volkswagen Golf
Best Family Car over $30,000 – Mazda 6 Wagon
Best SUV under $50,000 – Mazda CX-5
Best SUV over $50,000 – Porsche Macan
Best Prestige Car under $100,000 – Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Best Prestige Car over $100,000 – Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Best Performance car under $100,000 – Ford Fiesta ST EcoBoost
Best Performance car over $100,000 – Porsche Cayman
Best Offroad 4×4 – Ford Ranger
Best Tradie vehicle – Ford Ranger
Best Green Car Tesla – Model S
