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Home of the 64-roll package of toilet paper and the 40-pound tub of honey, Costco is famous for saving shoppers money by selling in bulk. But another major aspect of the Costco experience is its Kirkland Signature house brand items, which promise features and quality similar to name brands, but for less.

If the Tesla Model S lacks any conspicuous electric-car characteristic -- no obvious charging port, for example -- it's by design. The five-door Signature Series sedan, which heavily subsidized Tesla Motors began delivering in small quantities on June 22, looks rather conventional in the same appealing vein as recent Jaguars and Audis. It has a long and low hood, a virile stance on 21-inch wheels, and a fastback sweeping to a subtle spoiler on the high tail. If this is underwhelming, without a hint of the self-obviousness of General Motors EV1, for instance, that's too bad.