Motor Trend magazine has named the Tesla Model S its Car of the Year. According to CNN, the staff at Motor Trend magazine chose the all-electric plug-in luxury car out of 11 finalists that also included models such as the Ford Fusion, Porsche 911 and Hyundai Azera.

This is the first time the magazine has selected an all-electric car to be its Car of the Year.

Ed Loh, Motor Trend's editor-in-chief said on Monday that there was no question about who the winner was.

"The vehicles that placed second and third didn't get more than three votes," Loh told CNN. "But it was a unanimous decision for the Telsa Model S." 

According to Loh, being just an electric car wasn't enough to earn the Model S the prize.

"At its core, the Telsa Model S. is simply a damned good car you happen to plug in to refuel," editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie wrote in an article about the award.

CNN reported that Motor Trend referred to the Model S "as smoothly effortless as a Rolls-Royce" to drive fast while having the cargo and passenger capacity of an SUV.

The Model S was one of the most efficient cars the magazine has ever tested, CNN confirmed. It averaged 74.5 miles per gallon equivalent to a measure of how far the car goes on an amount of electricity to the energy in a gallon of gasoline.

According to the test conducted by Motor Trends, the big car can still go from a standstill to 60 miles an hour in just four seconds.

Telsa CEO Elon Musk said at the New York City announcement ceremony, "This is a point at which the gears of history moved."

"I hope that other auto makers will copy us and follow through and do electric cars with more vigor."

According to CNN, the price ranges from $50,000 for a car that can go 160 miles on a charge to almost $100,000 for another that can go up to 300 miles.

Production for the vehicle began this summer, and by early October, Telsa reported it had sold 250 Model S sedans.

It is expected to sell about 3,200 by the end of 2012.