The Model 3 "hype" is primarily from speculation and rumors by people who do not work from Tesla.
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⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️
Village Idiot
I don't care or necessarily want a Ludicrous Tesla, but I think they will make the Model 3 as fast as they can. I don't think they will hold back just to keep it from being faster than the S. Just like with the S there will be a huge markup and profit margin on a Ludicrous 3.
Lemme see, Tesla has been selling more S and X than your "big boys" in US for over 2 years. So they are already competing very well.
Model 3 is intended as a 35k car for the masses. Not a 75k luxury sport... as that market is much smaller. Like you, I hope they make it configurable to a higher spec including awd and bigger battery. But I also realize that is not the mission of the car.
Let's see what happens in market. I suspect the 3 will attract a lot of buyers. It may not have feature parity with every feature of every car in that price range, but will have magic drivetrain, a very attractive exterior, that glass roof, etc. Every automaker has to decide what to compete on, and the market stats indicate Tesla has chosen well.
I have a $35k EV: an eGolf. I suspect the base model 3 will blow that away.
SuperDragon
Member
So calling the controls like driving a spaceship isn't hype?
I said I couldn't get used to only having a sole center console. And yes, my car has 2 consoles like every other car out there.
I hope that Tesla is doing focus groups with non-sycophants who also have not drunk the AP Koolaid. If the center console works with that group, OK. If not, I suspect Tesla will have problems selling until they add instrument cluster or HUD.
They will hold back from it being faster than the S, as Musk already implied - not for a technical reason, but a product positioning reason. The 3 platform will always have less range, less acceleration, less power, and fewer features. They do not want sales cannibalization. The potential margin on options (a la cart features) is not enough reason because they still would not make as much profit on the whole, unless they doubled the price of those features in the 3 platform. But then S buyers would complain about performance per dollar for some aspect they favor and 3 buyers would complain about being price gouged. Tesla does not have to provide S-competitive features in the short term on the 3, because prospective buyers will have no alternative for these features from other manufacturers.
That's a shame because if you want a performance sedan from Tesla, you must buy their "luxo barge".
Agree with outselling the big boys at top level, nicely done by Tesla. It does not mean they cannot make it better. Also agree that 35k M3 will easily beat the eGolf in all features, and the entry BMW3 series / A4/ C-class in driving pleasure. However, the exhilaration of electric drive can only get you so many buyers, and the interior must deliver too - just ask my wife about the importance of overall appearance for a person not interested in cars. My point is that to outsell the BMW 3-5/A4-6/C or E-class (with which most mid-range M3 will compare) you need a complete package - interior quality included. To the very least, you need to have it as an option.
Ah folks from outside this forum? In a few years, when competition catches up, the market will decide what Tesla winds up producing. Before then Tesla probably will have the best value EV in its class. This EV may lose appeal to 10-20% of potential buyers due to cost cutting measures, but demand will still be strong worldwide for the short term anyway.
I know a lot of folk believe deep down in their hearts that an EV powertrain is no more expensive than an ICE powertrain because something huge will happen in less than 9 months that will make all basic materials cheaper, and EV component costs will be cut in 1/2, but only for Tesla Motors. They will invent cheaper raw materials and finished components in under 9 months and no other companies can do it.
I doubt it though.
A stripped BMW 3xx besides being ugly, is not very cheap. It's not the driveline that causes those costs. So for a Model 3 to have a gutted BMW 3xx interior, superior stying, AND an electromotive powertrain at virtually the same price is questionable.
If a Model 3 looks like that, I will have to leave the car cover on when I drive it.
contaygious
Active Member
Compare all the 3 tech with audi a3 and bmw 3 standard features...tesla wins for 35k
Standard features in the 2017 3 Series include dual-zone automatic climate control, a nine-speaker audio system, HD Radio, Bluetooth, a USB port, an iDrive infotainment system with a 6.5-inch display screen, and push-button ignition.
- Audi concert radio with ten speakers and single CD player with MP3 playback capability
- Driver information system
- HD Radio™ Technology
- SiriusXM® Satellite Radio with 90-day trial subscription 3
- SD card slot with 32GB operating capacity
- Cruise control with coast, resume and accelerate features
- BLUETOOTH® wireless technology preparation compatible for mobile phones 4
- BLUETOOTH® streaming audio for compatible devices 4
- Rear view camera
- Audi pre sense® basic
- Audi pre sense® front
- Rain/light sensor for automatic windshield wipers and headlights
Standard features in the 2017 3 Series include dual-zone automatic climate control, a nine-speaker audio system, HD Radio, Bluetooth, a USB port, an iDrive infotainment system with a 6.5-inch display screen, and push-button ignition.
How did you form the notion of the 35k Model 3 will easily beat the entry BMW 3 series / A4 / C-class in "driving pleasure"? It's really going to be tough because an EV has its pros and cons as far as driving experience. They're more responsive, yet heavier, less agile, and much less robust when driven hard. Also driver feedback from steering is important, and for electric steering this is an engineering art that I don't think Tesla is focusing on. For the Model 3 platform, I think Tesla would have to invest more than they care to in order to compete on "driving fun" factor which is a combo of aspects like handling, braking, acceleration and steering/road feedback. Tesla is making it clear that the 3 is not set up to compete on performance, but rather overall value.
That is NOT because Tesla is making a better "top level" car either.
Definitely not.
What they are selling is a (so far) unique EV drivetrain with large battery and a promising charging network, sprinkled with some unique software innovation on top. This in itself has a market that is quite different from the usual "top level big boys" car market. We have people coming from a Prius to Model S, totally buying out of their usual car class...
The rest of the car is completely meh compared to a high-end luxury sedan of the same price. I should know, I switched from one (a loaded Audi A8) to the Model S... because, again, the unique EV drivetrain has appeal in itself. But the rest of the car is perhaps two car classes beneath that Audi. I would say, Audi A5 level, not even Audi A6-A7.
Model 3 will reach even more such customers, definitely. Tesla can for some time get away with subpar interiors etc.
But once those I-Paces and Audi e-tron quattros come, Tesla better be ready to lift their game to the next level in those neglected areas as well...
⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️
Village Idiot
It might be slower than the S for technical reasons. The smaller battery. I was just reading that the largest battery that can fit in the M3 is the 75 kWh.
The S isn't really that big if you compare it to SUVs, trucks and vans. It's actually a very nice sized vehicle. More of a land yacht than a barge.
For those concerned with having a sole center display, what would you think if the center display was mobile and could slide closer to (or, less likely, behind) the steering wheel?
