Anti-EV / anti-Tesla advertising from competitors

[PaulusdB]

Yeah, shenenagans all over the place. We're deep into semantics that nobody cares about. Model S (or any other 100% EV) has no ignition, to begin with. That detail is lost to the general public, I'm afraid. Good spin by Audi.
Hate them for that.

 

[Mayhemm]

It's more than just a few details: "The 2014 Audi A7 Premium Plus and the Tesla Model S share many standard features in common, but the A7 comes out on top by offering features such as keyless ignition, satellite radio and iPod® integration standard."

I love how they refer to the standard features on an optional package!

 

[FLDarren]

It's just so opposite to their history of being on the forefront of innovation. Something has changed in their culture.

I bought my Prius in 07 when they weren't a dime a dozen. When it was time for me to get a new car this year, nothing was making me lean towards a new Prius. Why you ask? Well besides the exterior, what's the different between the two years? Not one major improvement over SEVEN years. C'mon Toyota! Evolutionary, not revolutionary. Imagine where Tesla will be in seven years. Hopefully knocking off 2-3 major ICE automakers in that span. I'm not worried about these ignorant and misleading ads, not one bit. EV's will prove victorious and become commonplace in the long term.

 

[jerry33]

I suppose it is technically true that the Model S lacks keyless ignition...

You're right. It's a Microsoft support answer, technically correct but functionally useless.

 

[John Donovan]

First they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win...

I heard it as:

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then...

 

[smorgasbord]

I showed them the Tesla audio command search capability "Play""Anything you have ever heard in your life" and the cellular connectivity and everyone was sold once they realized it was accessing the internet and not a media drive to pull in the song"

Hmm, maybe those folks in the Audi dealership don't know what their own cars can do? http://www.audiusa.com/innovation/intelligence/audi-connect

 

[Matthias Buhl]

Hmm, maybe those folks in the Audi dealership don't know what their own cars can do? http://www.audiusa.com/innovation/intelligence/audi-connect

Honestly I drive an Audi with Audi Connect and it just fells old and impractical compared to what Tesla has come up with so far. There is no such option as finding a song. I basically use the in car wifi to connect my iPhone and use spotify for music streaming.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

The Audi user interface is like an old audio 8 track tape - it works, sounds ok and gives some level of control using antiquated user interfaces. The Telsa interface is like the move to CD Audio. Easier to control, better sound and a level of finesse that will never be match, until auto makers mirror the Tesla user interface.

Same analogy again. The ICE engine in the background is like the hiss of the old 8 track tape between the quiet segments of the song, The Telsa again, behaves like a Audio CD with little to no background hiss as I jam on some great audio. (would love to hear ARTSCI's new "silenced" Telsa)

There really is no comparison - everyone who has been in my car is blow away by the Telsa. i just "sold" another one last night to a life long BMW fan.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

this thread was enjoyable to read ... pretty much agree with what the general theme is - let the "attack ads" commence, ironically I suspect it just drives more people over to check out tesla anyway !!!! ha ha ha

 

[smorgasbord]

There really is no comparison - everyone who has been in my car is blow away by the Telsa.

I haven't been in your specific car, but I've been in and driven plenty of Model S's. Overall I find the latest Audi fully loaded system to blow away Model S with the Tech Package - and that's not counting the 2015 A3, which looks to be even better. Audi's Nav system in particular has the best integration of Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Street View and Google Voice Local Search of anyone. Just ask any Model S owner that got lost trying to get to TMC Connect a couple months ago...

Tesla has real estate on its side, but the system just isn't fully mature yet. What do you have on your 500GB hard drive? Is your Model S a wifi hotspot? Does it support 4G? How many cameras on your Model S? What about auto-parking, heads up display, lane departure warning, etc?

BTW, I don't own an Audi.

Tesla has the best passenger car drivetrain on the planet. It doesn't have the best infotainment system, just the biggest screen.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

I haven't been in your specific car, but I've been in and driven plenty of Model S's. Overall I find the latest Audi fully loaded system to blow away Model S with the Tech Package - and that's not counting the 2015 A3, which looks to be even better. Audi's Nav system in particular has the best integration of Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Street View and Google Voice Local Search of anyone. Just ask any Model S owner that got lost trying to get to TMC Connect a couple months ago...

Tesla has real estate on its side, but the system just isn't fully mature yet. What do you have on your 500GB hard drive? Is your Model S a wifi hotspot? Does it support 4G? How many cameras on your Model S? What about auto-parking, heads up display, lane departure warning, etc?

BTW, I don't own an Audi.

Tesla has the best passenger car drivetrain on the planet. It doesn't have the best infotainment system, just the biggest screen.

My experience with the Tesla system is still limited and my experience with Audi (and other Germans) is vast in comparison, but I am bold enough to somewhat have to disagree with you. I used to think the present Audi system was the pinnacle of automotive innovation... that is, until I sat inside a Tesla. Audi's system (e.g. in current A7 or A8) is clumsy and antiquated. Audi's Google features sound nice on paper, but in reality they are quite slow to operate, the system is much slower than that of Tesla's etc. (And Audi has one of the best traditional systems!) Having Street View on Audi sounds nice, but in reality it is pretty clunky and I never really used it. And they have a very old-fashioned approach to updating it too, you usually only get factory updates if you need warranty fixing (and usually the feature updates are quite limited anyway), Tesla keeps on getting better all the time...

I do agree Audi has more options and features, especially when it comes to sensors and the like. But it is a bit like comparing the feature-laden smartphones of 2007 to the first iPhone. Sure, the first iPhone had zilch feature-wise and many more mature competitors had lots, but it was still miles better as a smartphone immediately on launch. And iPhone introduced the major OS updates concept to smartphones, whereas older phones used to remain as they were...

Same with Tesla vs. Audi. It is more than just a larger screen, it is also the way it operates, how smooth it is, what it has in terms of upgradeability, app potential and the like. Tesla is ditching a lot of legacy stuff just like iPhone used to, but to me, as a very long-time fan of the German car industry, Tesla is looking like the automotive iPhone of 2007... The competition will follow, just like they did with iPhone, but it looks to me like Tesla will enjoy a healthy lead for the next few years in more ways than just the drivetrain department.