????直到最近，艾倫?馬斯科的特斯拉公司（Tesla）還一直完全壟斷著高端電動汽車市場。這家公司的加州佛萊蒙特工廠每周生產(chǎn)大約400臺Model S電動車，每輛車的單價高達9萬多美元。最早購買這款車的消費者對它的造型和性能傾倒不已。同時特斯拉也成功轉(zhuǎn)型為上市公司，股價一路高歌猛進。

????不過現(xiàn)在，特斯拉獨霸高端電動汽車市場的局面即將改變，因為一個曾在高端車市場取得巨大成功的汽車廠商現(xiàn)在也加入了這個市場的競爭，它就是寶馬（BMW）。寶馬已經(jīng)在全球范圍內(nèi)發(fā)布了i3全電動汽車，將于2014年正式上市。對i3的早期評測結果令人非常興奮，試駕員們稱i3“開起來就像一輛真正的寶馬”。

????到目前為止，特斯拉和寶馬還沒有出現(xiàn)針鋒相對的競爭。特斯拉Model S是一輛七座旅行車，而寶馬i3只能容納四人，而且只適合城市周邊短途旅行。但是隨著特斯拉將產(chǎn)品線擴展到價格較低的車型，同時寶馬推出i8油電混合動力轎車以吸引高端客戶，這兩家廠商難免會日漸瞄準同一群目標客戶。

????為了了解未來這兩家公司的目標市場可能出現(xiàn)的重疊情況，以及其他汽車廠商將受到怎樣的影響，不妨先來看看這兩家公司的成績單。

1. 歷史

????特斯拉已經(jīng)成為汽車業(yè)在二戰(zhàn)后最成功的創(chuàng)業(yè)公司，看來它已經(jīng)同時掌握了設計藝術和制造工藝。公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人兼CEO馬斯科作為一名企業(yè)家過去的創(chuàng)業(yè)史也是成績斐然，他迄今已經(jīng)創(chuàng)立了三家成功的公司。不過他創(chuàng)立特斯拉的歷史仍然不長，而且目前公司也沒有完全走出難關。

????寶馬公司直到二戰(zhàn)結束后才真正進軍汽車領域，它是全球最大的高性能豪華轎車制造商，而且一直有穩(wěn)定的成功和增長的歷史。雖然寶馬剛剛涉足電動汽車領域，但是寶馬一向不拒絕變革（比如寶馬1系、MINI系列等），而且早在十年以前，寶馬就開始測試內(nèi)燃機引擎的替代產(chǎn)品了。

????優(yōu)勢方：寶馬

2. 產(chǎn)品

????盡管Model S的尺寸和價格讓大多數(shù)人望而卻步，但是自從這個車型發(fā)布以來，它已經(jīng)取得了相當可觀的成功。特斯拉預計今年共銷售21,000輛Model S，定價為稅前72,000美元。如果這個目標達成，那么它將相當于捷豹（Jaguar）、賓利（Bentley）、瑪莎拉蒂（Maserati）、蘭博基尼（Lamborghini）和勞斯萊斯（Rolls-Royce）的銷售總量。

????寶馬i3是一輛高坐姿的緊湊型掀背車，有兩個前門和兩個尺寸縮水的后門，因此它也成了繼50年代的三輪汽車Isetta之后，寶馬公司生產(chǎn)的外型最古怪的一款車型。寶馬有能力年產(chǎn)4萬輛i3，單價大概在4.3萬元左右。不過在其最終投產(chǎn)之前，量產(chǎn)車型的外觀仍然無法得到最終確認。

????優(yōu)勢方：特斯拉

????Until just recently, Elon Musk's Tesla had the market for electric luxury cars all to itself. It was building some 400 units a week of the Model S at its factory in Fremont, Calif. and selling them for upwards of $90,000 apiece. Early adopters raved about the sedan's style and performance, while Tesla went public and became a furious growth stock.

????That's all about to change. A new competitor has arrived on the scene that has had considerable past success in selling to upscale customers: BMW. It has begun the global launch of the all-electric i3 that will begin reaching U.S. customers in 2014. Initial reviews of the car have been close to rapturous, with test drivers declaring that the i3 "drives just like a true BMW."

????For now, Tesla (TSLA) and BMW aren't competing head-to-head. The Model S is a seven-passenger luxury touring car while the i3 carries just four passengers and is designed for quick trips around town. But as Tesla fills out its product line with less-expensive models and BMW rolls out the sporty i8 hybrid-electric coupe to go after high rollers, the automakers will increasingly be targeting the same customers.

????To get an early sense of how the two sides will stack up -- and how other automakers might be affected -- here's a report card on the two companies.

1. History

????Tesla has already become the most successful automotive startup since World War II, seeming to have simultaneously mastered the arts of design, engineering, and manufacturing. Musk, its co-founder and CEO, has forged a remarkable track record as an entrepreneur, having started three successful companies. His record at Tesla, however, is short, and he has not managed the company through a downturn.

????BMW, which didn't get seriously into the auto business until after World War II, is the world's largest producer of luxury performance cars, and has a consistent history of success and growth. Although it is new to the world of electric cars, it is open to change (1-series, MINI) and has been testing alternatives to the internal combustion engine for more than a decade.

????Advantage: BMW

2. Products

????While the size and price of the Model S make it impractical for most people, it has been successfully launched, and Tesla expects to sell 21,000 of them this year at prices starting at $72,000 before any federal tax credit. If it succeeds, it would equal the combined volume of Jaguar, Bentley, Maserati, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce.

????BMW's i3 is a tall compact hatchback that has two full front doors and two rear half doors, which makes it the strangest-looking car the company has sold since the three-wheeled Isetta of the 1950s. BMW will have the capacity to make 40,000 i3s at prices that start around $43,000, but until it actually starts production, the appeal of the car remains unproven.

????Advantage: Tesla