Automotive journalist and popular YouTuber Doug DeMuro has identified the 2012 Tesla Model S as the most significant car of the past three decades. In a recent video, DeMuro emphatically stated that the decision was “not even a question,” asserting that the Model S fundamentally altered the automotive industry’s trajectory more than any other vehicle released since the mid-1990s.
A Paradigm Shift in Automotive History
“Unquestionably in my mind, the number one most important car of the last 30 years… it’s not even a question,” DeMuro stated. “The 2012 Tesla Model S. There is no doubt that that is the most important car of the last 30 years.” He acknowledged current challenges in electric vehicle adoption but maintained that long-term electrification is an inevitable future.
“If you’re a rational person who’s truthful with yourself, you know that the future is electric… whether it’s 10, 20, 30 years, the future will be electric, and it was the Model S that was the very first car that did that truthfully,” he added.
Beyond the First Mover Advantage
While vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt preceded the Model S, DeMuro argued they did not achieve a significant shift in public perception. The Model S, he contends, demonstrated that electric vehicles “could be cool, could be fast, could be luxurious, could be for enthusiasts,” proving that consumers did not need to make substantial compromises for electric driving.
DeMuro also highlighted the Model S’s role in Tesla’s evolution into more than just a car manufacturer, expanding its influence into areas such as Superchargers, home energy products, and a broader technology brand.
He contrasted the Model S with earlier EVs, noting that while the Leaf and Volt “made a huge splash and taught us that it was possible,” they did not bring the technology into the mainstream. “It’s rarely about the car that does it first. It’s about the car that brings it into the mainstream,” he explained. “The Model S was the car that actually won the game even though the Leaf and Volt scored the first.”
Challenging the Status Quo
Perhaps one of the Model S’s most remarkable achievements, according to DeMuro, was proving that a new American automaker could succeed in a market long considered insurmountable due to infrastructure and capital demands. “For decades, it was generally agreed that there would never be another competitive American car company because the infrastructure and the investment required to start up another American car company as just too challenging… It was just a given basically that you couldn’t do it. And not only did they go it, but they created a cultural icon… That car just truly changed the world,” he concluded.