https://mondaynote.com/tesla-both-sides-of-the-case-32bf53b8f4f1

Now 15-years-old, Tesla enjoys a media presence that’s well out of proportion with the size of its sales. In the first quarter of this year, the company sold fewer than 30,000 cars; for reference, Toyota sells about 2.5M per quarter, 80 times more. The extravagant attention can be explained, at least in part, by Elon Musk’s impressive PR skills. Musk is a veritable quote machine, constantly providing fodder across the whole spectrum of media from blogs to Twitter, from the Wall Street Journal to The New York Times and The Washington Post.

The attention may be inordinate, but it isn’t entirely empty. It would mean nothing if Tesla didn’t have a serious product, and Tesla’s Model S, a “green car for carnivores” as one wag rightly calls it, amply rewards those who pay $100K for the car’s sexy styling, swift acceleration, and pleasant road manners. As industry observers have noted, the Model S is outselling comparable high-end BMWs and Mercedes, first in the US and now in Europe.