Text l If comfortably outpacing your rivals is the main measure of automotive achievement,Tesla's electric car is a resounding success.The Model S last year outsold its nearest luxury rival,Mercedes's petrol-engined S-class,by 30qo in America.And in its top specification the Tesla will also beat the Cerman car in the race from 0-60mph.As a battery-maker Tesla is also moving fast.This week it announced plans to build a"gigafactory"in America to make lithium-ion power-packs,that it hopes will propel its vehicles to the mainstream.Tesla's acceleration has been rapid.Launched a decade ago by Elon Musk,a founder of PayPal and serial tech entrepreneur,last year it sold around 22,000 cars and by the end of 2014 hopes to be making l,000 a week.In early 2015 Tesla will add the Model X,a medium-sized SUV,to its range.However,Tesla's impressive growth has not yet tranalaLed into significant profits.A series of b8ttery fires also briefly dented sales growth last year.Nevertheless,Tesla's shares surged on February 25th,to value the company at over$30 billion after Morgan Stanley,a bank,joined its adoring fans.It reckons that the battery factory will not only propel it along the road to mass manufacturing but also make it a leading competitor in low-cost enerOr storage,Lhe key to making renewable energy more practical.The bank is also confident that Tesla's Silicon Valley location will put it in the driverless front seat of autonomous motoring.A recent meeting with Apple,and the iPad-like control panel of the Model S,have convinced some ob~servers that a takeover-and an iCar are around the corner,although Mr Musk insists that his firm is not for sale.Tesla has defied its doubters with the success of the Model S,a smartly styled luxury car.It may not share the outrageous looks of a supercar like the Lamborghini Aventador,but it has the performance without the$400,OOO-plus price tag.The most basic Model S costs$64,000 in America.This has won it rave reviews in the motoring press,often sniffy about other electric cars with limited ranges and duff looks.By designing a large car wiLh a big battery pack,Tesla has diminished"range anxiety"-one version can d0 310 nules(500km)between charges.

According to the first paragraph,Tesla is____