I'd put the iPhone as another example of something that is both mainstream and mass-market, but not what I'd consider "affordable" compared to many other phones on the market. Though that's not to say that millions folks of limited means aren't stretching their budget or forgoing other necessities to have one, or upgrade every year to the latest model, for the sake of status or social pressures.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Here's why the 3 isn't a mainstream "affordable" car
- Thread starter dreamingof3
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Model 3
Forgive me, but I'm not sure of the relevance of this statement. Perhaps you mean that there are those who would not choose a Model 3 over a Camry because they don't like regen? Maybe, but that doesn't really have any bearing on the target market for the 3. As many have pointed out, the 3 is intended to compete with benchmark German sedans. While the Japanese sedans you reference are certainly nice cars, they are not what I would call "driver's cars" and they are intended for a different audience. At this point, I would say that we will have to agree to disagree. In my opinion, while I wish the large battery option was less expensive, I regard the base Model 3 as "affordable." Since that is a subjective term, neither of us can be objectively right or wrong, but as others have said, 35k is a step in the right direction. Nobody has to buy autopilot and there is no car that I am aware of that comes with adaptive cruise or other such features as standard. All in all, I'm pretty impressed with what Tesla is delivering for the price. You seem not to be, which is perfectly fine.
I'm saying people who haven't driven an electric car are in for a huge surprise with regen breaking. You are automatically assuming people who are used to gasoline vehicles will enjoy the car breaking itself. Sure the driving experience is subjective and some people will love it too. The acceleration of the 3 will be far superior at least we can agree on that
OK, but not really on topic. People do become accustomed with any given vehicle over time. That has nothing to do with target market, pricing appropriateness nor feature comparability with competitors.
In all those respects the primary competitors to Model 3 and Model 3 itself compare quite favorably. Examining BMW 3-Series, Audi A-4, MB C-class all of them compare pretty well with each other. For that matter so do a few other similar offerings from Infiniti, Lexus and others. That really site point. For the first time one can look at a BEV and ICE competitors in terms of feature and price and find them to be comparable.
Is that not the real point? One need not be a Tesla fan to note that even a Toyota Camry costs as much as a modestly equipped Model 3.
That is news.
Incorrect. The 2017 Camry SE can be purchased for 20300 now on clearance which is 72% than the stripped black model 3. How is that the same?
I actually drove an i3 for the first time a few months ago via ReachNow, which was my first ever EV drive, and was unpleasantly surprised by the regen braking. I initially thought something was wrong with the car with the way it would lightly brake/slow down every time I took my foot off of the accelerator. Def needs some getting used to.
Please don't tell my wife this! She's still questioning how a stripped down $35k EV is a better purchase idea than a decently optioned or loaded Accord or Civic!
Can you turn it to low/off on the BMW. The good thing about the Tesla is there is a low button you can change the regen feature to
I have no clue. I just pay-per-used the car to get home after work one day, didn't really explore it too much. The instant torque was impressive though.
A similar Camry also could have been purchased on 3/31/16. Yet 100,000 people waited in line for the Model 3.
You should learn from that.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
I'm not a Camry kind of Guy but I made an effort ..
The base LE with package (for safety and Nav) came out to $27,580
freeewilly
Member
chronopc
Active Member
Maybe these people never heard of the Camry?
chronopc
Active Member
Why do you hate regen breaking? It's one of the best thing about driving an EV. You get additional range.
igotzzoom
Active Member
Doesn't matter. Soon enough, Nissan, VW, Hyundai, etc. will offer affordable EVs with decent range and quality. I don't blame Musk for wanting to keep Tesla a premium brand. If it becomes too mainstream and commoditized, it will lose some of its appeal and mystique.
Tesla still has a LOT of growing to do.
They simply can`t go into "camry" territory. For now they NEED to position in the premium sector and target people willing to shell out a lot for their cars to get their margin and ultimately keep growing long enough to reach profitability at some point.
They simply can`t go into "camry" territory. For now they NEED to position in the premium sector and target people willing to shell out a lot for their cars to get their margin and ultimately keep growing long enough to reach profitability at some point.
WhiskySTL
Member
I still don't get why the OP or any of us are comparing the Model 3 to a base model Camry. The base model Camry, even in Hyrbid mode, doesn't touch the efficiency of a Model 3. You get a 4" touch screen, whereas in the Model 3 you get a 15" screen. No homelink in the Camry unless optioned, and on some of the lower end models you can't option it, period. No heated seats standard either.
This is not an apples to apples comparison. People have pointed out, ad nasuem, that the Model 3 wasn't designed to compete with the Camry. The Camry is a 20k car that can be optioned into the low 40s, the M3 is a 35k car that can be optioned to the high 50's. There is barely overlap in their price segment.
I usually drive fairly nice, fast ICE vehicles. I've had 325i, 330i, M3s, 550XI, Jeep SRT, Mercedes CLA 45 AMG, etc. Recently I bought a lightly used Honda Accord EX-L, which is the nicest trim they offer in that level. The model had an MSRP of about $30,000 when new. There is still a STARK contract in driving this car vs. something like a 3 series, C-class, etc. That extra 5-10k, in this part of the market, goes a LONG way in the driving dynamics, characteristics, etc. of a vehicle.
My Honda transmits so much more road noise than any BMW or Mercedes I've owned (including the cheap or used ones). Our 2005 BMW 325i was heads and tails a better-handling, quieter vehicle, and it came out a decade before the Honda.
OP, if you're really that beat up about a Camry being more competitive in price than the M3, by all means go for the Camry. It's a decent vehicle, and if it meets your needs there is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing that path. But suggesting there is a relative comparison to be made between the two is really a stretch. Tesla is not, at this point, trying to take market share from the Toyota crowd. They know their audience well, and Toyota drivers, in large part, are not it.
This is not an apples to apples comparison. People have pointed out, ad nasuem, that the Model 3 wasn't designed to compete with the Camry. The Camry is a 20k car that can be optioned into the low 40s, the M3 is a 35k car that can be optioned to the high 50's. There is barely overlap in their price segment.
I usually drive fairly nice, fast ICE vehicles. I've had 325i, 330i, M3s, 550XI, Jeep SRT, Mercedes CLA 45 AMG, etc. Recently I bought a lightly used Honda Accord EX-L, which is the nicest trim they offer in that level. The model had an MSRP of about $30,000 when new. There is still a STARK contract in driving this car vs. something like a 3 series, C-class, etc. That extra 5-10k, in this part of the market, goes a LONG way in the driving dynamics, characteristics, etc. of a vehicle.
My Honda transmits so much more road noise than any BMW or Mercedes I've owned (including the cheap or used ones). Our 2005 BMW 325i was heads and tails a better-handling, quieter vehicle, and it came out a decade before the Honda.
OP, if you're really that beat up about a Camry being more competitive in price than the M3, by all means go for the Camry. It's a decent vehicle, and if it meets your needs there is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing that path. But suggesting there is a relative comparison to be made between the two is really a stretch. Tesla is not, at this point, trying to take market share from the Toyota crowd. They know their audience well, and Toyota drivers, in large part, are not it.
Similar threads
