Statistics are sometimes designed to be contradicted, and in that respect, Tesla Motors' IPO has just rewritten all the figures on the share market for the first half of 2010.

The electric car manufacturer, which doesn't expect to be profitable until 2012, has smashed IPO records: it increased the number of shares issued by 20% and was listed above its initial estimate - managing to raise 223 million dollars instead of the anticipated 180 million - and it soared by more than 40% on the first day it was listed!

Of course, one should put all this in context: Tesla Motors more of a technology company than a car manufacturer, which, being positioned in a segment of the future, has attracted high-tech or clean energy specialists, who are less cautious in these uncertain times. It could also point to a tangible product: a sports car, something of a weakness for many investors, which photovoltaic solar energy companies, such as the American company Solyndra, are not in a position to do, which was why it had to postpone its floatation on the NASDAQ two weeks ago. Finally, the presence of famous partners - Daimler Chrysler, Toyota - will have reassured investors.

In spite of everything, this atypical case stands out against the moribund background of the equities market: in the first six months of 2010, only 309 billion dollars of equity were raised, which is the lowest level for 5 years.

in the second quarter, in particular, the collective paranoia about European sovereign debt caused issues to fall by 48% in one year.

This slowdown was especially noticeable among IPOs, where there is more substantial risk-taking: 35.2 billion dollars' worth of planned stock market floatations were cancelled during the second quarter, worldwide, and in the United States, more projects have been aborted (71) than completed (68) since the start of the year!

Despite this difficult environment, the case of Tesla Motors shows that investors can show themselves when they are made an attractive proposition with substantial growth potential, guided by final consumption rather than by cost savings.

Will General Motors, which has ambitions to float on the stock market by the end of the year, be able to take advantage of the glimmer of enthusiasm aroused by Tesla Motors? It is not certain that the huge American juggernaut, which was bailed out by the government at the height of the crisis and which is still suffocated by 42 billion dollars of debt, will be able to sell itself as a model of innovative growth.