Car of the Decade? How About the Porsche Cayenne?

Tesla Motors, the nascent dot-car manufacturer that promised the world an electric sports car, announced last week that series production of the Tesla Roadster had begun at the Lotus plant in Hethel, England. The Roadster is powered by a 185 kilowatt (248 horsepower) three-phase, four-pole brushless electric motor and promises to be the only mass-production electric car offered for sale in America when it comes later this year.

Of course, “mass production” is relative — the current pace is about one car per week. And the entire 2008 production run is spoken for, with no delivery dates confirmed for 2009 cars. That said, if Tesla overcomes the many hurdles of bringing a high-tech, alt-energy, niche-market car to profitable production, it’ll certainly be remembered as one of the signature cars of the decade.

With two and a half years yet to go in the naughts, it might seem early to be declaring the candidates for such an honor, but there’s one more that will surely make the list — the Porsche Cayenne. The jellybean truck from Leipzig has transformed Porsche from a sports car manufacturer with one reliably selling model to a major player in Europe’s auto market.