Motor Trend has put the Coda Sedan on it’s short list for the 2013 Car of the Year award, marking a much needed victory for the LA based automaker. The Coda Sedan has been on sale since March 2012, but has experienced real trouble in trying to spur sales in the US.

Motor Trend praised the Coda Sedan’s “subtle but undeniable intelligence” and added that the car did over-deliver in performance. Motor Trend acknowledged Coda’s lack of visual appeal and styling, but did reason that Coda’s decision to put more resources into the battery technology was a good one.

The Coda Sedan received an 88 mile range rating from the EPA which is almost 15 miles more than the Nissan Leaf.