Tesla, Inc. is a car manufacturer.
Tesla, Inc. . The company 's second vehicle , the Model S , an electric luxury sedan , debuted in 2012 and is built at the Tesla Factory in California . , Tesla has sold over 186,000 electric cars worldwide since delivery of its first Tesla Roadster in 2008 , making the carmaker the second largest global pure electric car manufacturer after the Renault-Nissan Alliance . For two years running , 2015 and 2016 , Tesla ranked as the world 's second best selling manufacturer of plug-in electric cars after BYD Auto . Musk , the CEO , has said that he envisions Tesla as a technology company and independent automaker , aimed at eventually offering electric cars at prices affordable to the average consumer .