Tesla is no stranger to breaking barriers and venturing onto new ground, and with the release of Interbrand’s 2016 Best Global Brands survey, the California-based electric car maker has now found itself in very esteemed company after entering the prestigious list in 100th place with an estimated value of $4.011 billion.

The report attributes Tesla’s rise to prominence to a number of factors, including the shift in priorities of consumers from “prestige, premium quality, and status” to “value, convenience, and efficiency.”

Tesla is far from the only automaker to make the list, which actually includes a total of 15 brands topped by Toyota in fifth place, which has an estimated value of $53.58 billion. Mercedes-Benz is the only other automaker to make the top 10, which it did by finishing in ninth place with an estimated value of $43.49 billion. Chief rival BMW isn’t far behind in 11th place with an estimated value of $41.54 billion, with Volkswagen down so low in 40th place with an estimated value of $11.44 billion. Diesel emissions scandal, anyone?

Overall, the auto industry represented the top-growing industry, accounting for an increase of 9.5 percent in total value this year. While Tesla accounts for only a small fraction of the industry’s total value of $256.6 billion, it has become the face of the paradigm shift that’s shaping the future of the industry as it continues to move towards electrification and autonomous driving.

Other automakers who made the list include Honda (21st - $22.11 billion); Ford (33rd - $12.96 billion); Hyundai (35th - $12.55 billion); Audi (38th - $11.8 billion); Nissan (43rd - $11.07 billion); Porsche (50th - $9.54 billion); Kia (69th - $6.33 billion); Land Rover (78th - $5.7 billion); and Mini (88th - $4.99 billion). Though not exactly automakers, Harley-Davidson (80th - $5.53 billion), Caterpillar (82nd - $5.42 billions), and John Deere (91st - $4.82) also made the list.

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Sign of things to come or blip in the radar

it’s no coincidence that Tesla’s entry to Interbrand’s Best Global Brands survey comes at a time when it’s spearheading the industry shift towards electric vehicles. It’s no secret that Tesla’s regarded as a pioneer of this segment and the fact that it made it to this prestigious survey speaks to the kind of effect it has had on the industry.

There’s no question about what Tesla has accomplished, but there is a question on how these accomplishments will shape its future and that of the industry that it belongs to. Can Tesla remain an industry leader in the coming years now that a lot of the world’s biggest automakers are catching up? Just as important, can Tesla continue to be a step ahead of the game given the resources it has relative to the competition?

To its credit, it does have people leading it who aren’t going to settle for being 100th on this list. Love him or hate him, Elon Musk is as aggressive as they come when it comes to investing for the future, not just in the auto industry, but in other important sectors as well. You can be sure that he’s not going to sit idly by and let the industry catch up to Tesla and overtake it in the future. It’s going to utilize its advantages to try to venture into other areas of electrification that none of its rivals are doing. That much is clear and, if Tesla can succeed in getting there, it has a chance to stay in the top 100 for a long time.

Read our full review on the 2017 Tesla Model S here.