CADILLAC ELR SQUARES OFF AGAINST TESLA MODEL S IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

There's a new sheriff in town at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Tesla Motors' Model S sedan has been dominating the electric car discussion there, ever since the Tesla Store opened on the lower level last year. More recently, Tesla constructed and opened a Supercharger station at the mall, to give Model S owners free charges while they shop.

There aren't yet free charging stations for Cadillac owners, but the company's impressive ELR coupe is now on display inside the mall. Courtesy of Jim Coleman Cadillac - a dealership located just steps away from the mall - the ELR has been parked very close to the Tesla Store. Coincidence, or a bold statement?

In my opinion, the Cadillac ELR may have the best exterior design of any electric car, short of the ridiculously-amazing styling of the BMW i8. Tesla's Model S isn't exactly frumpy, though, and still beats both competitors in the "green" department - it's all-electric, while the Cadillac and BMW are hybrids with back-up gasoline engines. Tesla and Cadillac build theirs in America - the Model S in Fremont, California, and the ELR at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant.

Before listening to those telling you the private automobile is on the verge of extinction - they are out of touch with technology and reality. Don't demolish and cancel those highways just yet; the vehicles of the future are on the way.

Prepare for sticker shock

Just down the hall from
competitor Tesla Motors

A futuristic car with some
classic Cadillac styling cues

BIEBER AND DICAPRIO DRIVE IT: THE ECO-FRIENDLY "RICH MAN'S TOY" ARRIVES IN BETHESDA - FISKER KARMA IS HERE!

THE GREEN CAR

WITH AN

EXHAUST NOTE

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Bethesda is now officially the Richest Town in America.  So how better to save the planet, than with a $110,000 hybrid electric car?

Yes, there's the extravagant Fisker Karma, basking in the oohs, aahs, and adulation of shoppers at Bethesda's Westfield Montgomery Mall.  It's certainly a deserved reward for the exotic sedan, after a long boat ride from Finland to the United States.

With a relatively-modest fuel economy rating of 54 MPG electric, and 22 MPG with its GM gasoline engine online, are you overpaying to slow the rise of the oceans, and heal the planet?

Probably.  The Tesla Model S will give the Karma a run for its money.   But let's face it, the S is no Karma in the styling department.

With the Karma, you get a "tailored" drivers seat.  Stealth Mode.  10.2" dashboard screen.

And everyone's attention on the road.

Described as a "rich man's toy," well, that descriptor will suit you well in Bethesda.  If it's good enough for Justin Bieber and Leo DiCaprio...

Once prices hit six figures, I'm thinking of Lamborghinis and Ferraris.  But if saving the world is on top of your list, and you're determined to do it in the grandest style, the Fisker Karma is waiting for you to take a test drive.