Tesla Model S launches

Delivered from June 2012, the Model S was Tesla's first car designed entirely in-house — a full-size electric luxury sedan with up to 265 miles of range, a minimalist touchscreen interior, and performance to rival the best petrol sports sedans.

In November 2012 it became the first all-electric car to win Motor Trend Car of the Year, in a unanimous decision. It later earned a 5-star NHTSA safety rating in every category. Just as importantly, the Model S pioneered treating a car as a software platform: regular over-the-air updates added features, improved performance, and fixed issues across the entire fleet overnight — something the established industry could not match.

The Model S didn't just sell cars; it changed expectations. It proved a startup could out-engineer century-old automakers and forced the entire industry to take electric vehicles seriously.