Trivia-Tesla Model S wins Motor Trend's Car of the Year

A Tesla Model S, the company's first full-size electric sedan, is displayed at the Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif., in this October 2011 file photo. Tesla winning Motor Trend's Car of the Year is good news for an electric car industry that has been labeled a failure by some analysts and politicians.

It is the first time in Motor Trend's 64-year history that the award has gone to a vehicle not powered by an internal combustion engine. "It drives like a sports car, eager and agile and instantly responsive," wrote Angus MacKenzie, editor-at-large of Motor Trend Magazine. "But it's also as smoothly effortless as a Rolls-Royce, can carry almost as much stuff as a Chevy Equinox, and is more efficient than a Toyota Prius." The announcement is a boost for an EV industry labeled a failure by some analysts and politicians.