Tesla Outsells Porsche: Tesla Model S Tops Porsche, Jaguar, Buick And More In California Vehicle Registrations

The good times keep rolling for Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA). As USA Today notes, the Tesla Model S electric sedan outsold other luxury brands in California during the first half of 2013.

According to a report by the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA), the Tesla Model S tallied 4,714 vehicle registrations over the first six months of the year, topping all models from brands like Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln and Buick.

Other luxury models, like Audi A6 and Lexus GS, received only 1,619 and 2,298 registrations respectively.

Despite its success, the Tesla Model S did not claim the top spot. That honor goes to the Mercedes E-Class, which got 6,582 vehicle registrations. The runner-up is the BMW 5-series with 6,077 registrations, according to I4U News.

As USA Today reports, California is something of an anomaly when it comes to cars. While the golden state is the largest state for auto sales in the United States, its top-selling car during the first half of 2013 was the Toyota Prius hybrid, with 33,987 cars sold. By comparison, the nation’s top-selling car, the Ford F-Series pickup truck, only sold 19,887 in California over the first six months of the year.

Just last week, Tesla Motors announced that their Model S -- which costs around $60,000 -- had earned a 5-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), both overall and in each subcategory.

As the press release states, only one percent of cars tested by the NHTSA receive a 5-star rating. Moreover, while the NHTSA does not award a rating higher than 5, the Tesla Model S received a combined 5.4 stars in the Vehicle Safety Score provided to car manufacturers.

The healthy number of vehicle registrations and the 5-star rating from the NHTSA have resulted in Tesla Motors’ stock rising nearly 500% over the past year, according to Forbes.