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Morgan Stanley says Tesla is world's most important automaker [w/poll]

If you had to choose one automaker, out of the dozens out there on the marketplace, to identify as the single most important in the world, which would it be? Toyota, the world's largest automaker? General Motors, which once laid claim to the same and is still the largest in America? Volkswagen, the largest in Europe? Or maybe Hyundai, which has risen like a phoenix from the proverbial ashes to become the fourth largest in the world? Nope, nope and nope, says financial services company Morgan Stanley: it's Tesla.
The potentially startling conclusion came in the form of an investment report cited by the LA Times and issued by Morgan Stanley research analyst Adam Jones, who wrote that "Tesla Motors has transformed from a fledgling start-up to arguably the most important car company in the world."
To back up the claim, Jones asserts that Tesla is not only an emerging force to be reckoned with in its own right, but has also spurred other, more established automakers to take electric vehicles (and their champion) more seriously. It's also prompted local governments to solicit Tesla to build its new gigafactory in their state, and encompasses more US content than any other car on the road.

Saleen FourSixteen kicks the door open on Tesla Model S tuning

Steve Saleen kind of shocked us when he announced that his company was working on an electric car late last year with no solid details to speak of. It just seemed like a complete about-face from the big muscle Ford Mustangs and supercars Saleen had built its reputation on. If anything, it was even more surprising when the business revealed that the new model would be a tuned Tesla Model S to be dubbed the FourSixteen. We finally got a glimpse of it during Monterey Car Week, and while the sedan's styling might have been polarizing, the car was still an intriguing project.
Xcar Films is taking an even deeper look into the FourSixteen's creation in its latest video with interviews with Saleen and other principles of the tuned Tesla's creation. According to Steve in the video, the company's focus is still on tuning pony cars and building supercars, but "electric vehicles are here to stay."
While Saleen leaves the Model S electric motor and batteries alone, it touches nearly every other part of the Tesla. The FourSixteen feature a new final-drive ratio and tweaked suspension, plus lighter wheels and carbon ceramic brakes to shed quite a few pounds. Of course, the most obvious change is its contentious body kit, especially at the rear, but Saleen claims that it's completely functional by channeling air more efficiently around the car. Like it or not, the FourSixteen might be the future of auto tuning.

Watch Rimac's Concept One roast a LaFerrari and Tesla Model S in a drag race

It's been five long years since Rimac Automobili took the covers off of its Concept_One at the Frankfurt Motor Show. From the very beginning, Rimac has confidently touted the supercar's capabilities, but now we actually have proof of just how capable the Concept_One really is. Here's your takeaway: It's quick enough to show a Ferrari LaFerrari its taillights through the quarter-mile. If you've spent any time clicking around on YouTube, you've seen the Tesla Model S P90D trump all sorts of high-performance cars. In this video, the Tesla is really only there for reference, because the way the Concept_One bests the electric sedan is just brutal. For those not familiar with Croatia's electric machine, here's the lowdown: 1,088 horsepower and 2,800 pound-feet of torque thanks to four electric motors that put everything down off the line Zero to 62 mph in 2.6 seconds, 6.2 seconds to get to 124 mph from a standstill, and 0 to 186 mph in 14.2 seconds An independent gearbox for each electric motor with the front featuring single-speed gearboxes and the rear axle using two-speed double-clutch gearboxes Rimac All Wheel Torque Vectoring (R-AWTV) system that calculates the optimum amount of torque for each wheel On paper, the Concept_One makes a Tesla Model S P90D with Ludicrous Mode look slow. But a LaFerrari isn't a Model S. And it's definitely not an electric car. It's a stampeding thoroughbred with a naturally aspirated V12 and an electric motor that together make 950 horsepower. It can blitz the quarter-mile in roughly 9.8 seconds and is faster than the majority of cars on the road today. Granted, the LaFerrari is quicker to 60 mph than the Concept_One, at 2.5 seconds. In essence, this race between two titanic machines should be close. But it's not. It's not even close to being close. It's a massacre. Related Video: News Source: Archie Hamilton Racing via YouTubeImage Credit: Archie Hamilton Racing / YouTube Green Ferrari Tesla Coupe Electric Videos drag race ferrari laferrari Rimac