“Tesla is going up against established brands, and yet it is schooling them on how to make a high-tech car,” Bartlett said. “It excels in all areas that we measure.”

The ranking is the latest accolade for the company, which is expanding its sales and production. Last week, Tesla said it expects to sell at least 35,000 Model S vehicles in 2014. This week, it’s expected to announce plans to build a “giga factory,” which will dramatically increase production of lithium-ion battery cells and battery packs.

What is wrong with those Fords?  LeBeau writes:

As has been the case in recent years, the biggest complaint from Ford owners was the reliability of their Ford Sync and MyFord Touch in-car connectivity systems.
“Sync and MyFord Touch have proved to be an Achilles’ heel … with the system locking up or being slow to respond,” Bartlett said. “It is bringing Ford’s overall reliability down.”

 The proof is really shown in the listings below.  Keep in Mind that Tesla scored a 99.

Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue rankings

And what has happened to the Japanese.  They have dominated the Consumer Reports top pick list for years.  But not so this year.  It is their worst showing in 40 years.  In this case, it isn’t necessarily that the Japanese cars are dropping in quality, but that other have caught up and passed them.