I absolutely think the North American car will be way better with an optimized battery. However, I am not so sure about the MIC car now. I still predict that the North American car will run 2.95 seconds for a true 0-60 mph without subtracting rollout and this 0-40 mph time backs that up completely. However, it is still concerning that the 40-60 mph time is slow for the old car with a cold battery. The falloff in that Dragy result was something I have never seen with my car even when I try to make it do that.
For me, at the very least, I am getting a car with a better 0-40 mph time without mods, better seats, better interior, rear screen, better phone key access, more desirable color(Red), lighter wheels, better cameras, better Aero, new front lip, and zero degradation battery all for the exact same monthly payment I pay for my current car. In all likelihood it will also have a MUCH better 60-100 mph time too.
For people who qualify for the tax credit with a purchase they will get so much better of a deal than I will and I am perfectly fine with that. This is an incredible car that is unmatched in Performance per dollar and efficiency. There isn't anything remotely close to it for this price on the market today.