Pinot.Noir
Member
The reason the Roadster exists, IMHO, is to set the ultimate bar for the best Tesla. No reason to water it down. If you want something less expensive they have other options that fit the bill.
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How about a slower roadster?
- Thread starter MrAliG
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LN1_Casey
Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus
The Ford mustang has been riding the coattails of it's glory days of the American Muscle era, in my opinion. People buy the top of the line Mustangs due to the history, not the performance (because Ford). The car started out as an middling power vehicle, then slowly expanded in both directions until the High performance was joined with the entry level, because Ford is about mass production, first and foremost.
I think it's better to compare Tesla's Roadster to the La Ferrari, not the Mustang. You don't neuter La Ferrari.
Now, that being said, I agree with you in that there is a market for a quick, but not terrifying 2-door coupe. I, personally, have 0% reason to buy a 4 door vehicle, and would prefer a two door so I can conveniently not have a reason to fit more than one other adult in my car. I've never owned a 4 door over my entire span of 8 vehicles through the years, and I know there are others out there who would be the same or similar.
I just don't think the Roadster is the model to accomplish this.
Now, what if they came out with a model I, C, the I being a 2 door coupe for economic slow people, and C being "I am Rich but not Roadster Rich" 2 door coup?
Then we can have the line up: S 3 X Y P I C.
xD
I think my main frustration is that I would like a reasonably sporty EV coupe/cabriolet and nothing exists. I am happy to pay up for something I will use, if I wanted a 1.9 second 0-60 time then $200k would be a good deal, but I personally don't find it useful. It may of course be exactly what other people are looking for.
I am not convinced that Tesla need a halo car. Now many manufacturers have halo cars so they must believe in them, but I cannot find much research that suggests they are a good idea. It seems that getting the core values of your cars right is more important. People believe that BMW's are sporty and good to drive, indeed their higher priced halo models tend not to sell well. Mercedes halo model is the S-Class and this seems to work to show people Mercs will be luxurious. No amount of wins in F1 will convince me that they aren't for old people, a few AMGs excepted. How many people buy other Fords because they make the Mustang.
To people in the know it would seem clear that EVs are very good at accelerating quickly, Tesla has shown that they can make family cars accelerate faster than sports cars. I am not sure that a low volume even faster car will do much for the image.
Interestingly when I googled halo cars I found some research that suggested a reliability halo was a better thing. If you make a really reliable car people will start to believe that all your cars are reliable. I was a lot more concerned that my Tesla wouldn't be reliable when I bought it than it wouldn't be fast enough.
It will not help Tesla to have a halo car that doesn't sell and cover its development costs. Countless manufacturers with much deeper pockets have been down this road. The question really is about economics, for them. What increases the value of their business more. The effects of the halo car on the brand or maximising profits on individual cars. A slower Roadster wouldn't take away from the fact that the very fast halo one exists and might add volume cover the fixed development costs.
I am not convinced that Tesla need a halo car. Now many manufacturers have halo cars so they must believe in them, but I cannot find much research that suggests they are a good idea. It seems that getting the core values of your cars right is more important. People believe that BMW's are sporty and good to drive, indeed their higher priced halo models tend not to sell well. Mercedes halo model is the S-Class and this seems to work to show people Mercs will be luxurious. No amount of wins in F1 will convince me that they aren't for old people, a few AMGs excepted. How many people buy other Fords because they make the Mustang.
To people in the know it would seem clear that EVs are very good at accelerating quickly, Tesla has shown that they can make family cars accelerate faster than sports cars. I am not sure that a low volume even faster car will do much for the image.
Interestingly when I googled halo cars I found some research that suggested a reliability halo was a better thing. If you make a really reliable car people will start to believe that all your cars are reliable. I was a lot more concerned that my Tesla wouldn't be reliable when I bought it than it wouldn't be fast enough.
It will not help Tesla to have a halo car that doesn't sell and cover its development costs. Countless manufacturers with much deeper pockets have been down this road. The question really is about economics, for them. What increases the value of their business more. The effects of the halo car on the brand or maximising profits on individual cars. A slower Roadster wouldn't take away from the fact that the very fast halo one exists and might add volume cover the fixed development costs.
You may have to wait for a Roadster 2 refresh to bring down the second hand prices of the originals.
Will they bring out a non-plaid-long-range-only version? Or a 100kWh version?
Not going to hold my breath. Instead I expect to see the Roadster 2 battery and drivetrain tech migrate to the other models.
tonybelding
Active Member
I'm sure the Roadster will have a "chill mode" setting. It would be crazy not to.
As for the question of a cheaper and less extreme version. . . If I had been the person setting the specifications, that's exactly what we would have gotten. I would have produced a 2-door, open-topped car on the 3 platform — like a Tesla Firebird. It wouldn't set world records, but it would perform well and be fun, and it could be more "attainable" as they say.
But you know, it's Elon's company, and I think we all know him pretty well by now. Obviously he demanded the ultimax, and that's what we're getting.
Other car companies will eventually produce BEV sports cars. The less extreme, more affordable product will come. It may come from Audi, since they reportedly will replace the TT with an electric model. BMW are rumored to replace the i8 with a BEV model. There will be the Piech Mark Zero. There will be the Qiantu K50.
Yeah, I know. Kind of depressing. If you want something that's really appealing and will be here in a reasonable time frame, saving up your pennies for the new Tesla Roadster is pretty much what you're stuck with.
As for the question of a cheaper and less extreme version. . . If I had been the person setting the specifications, that's exactly what we would have gotten. I would have produced a 2-door, open-topped car on the 3 platform — like a Tesla Firebird. It wouldn't set world records, but it would perform well and be fun, and it could be more "attainable" as they say.
But you know, it's Elon's company, and I think we all know him pretty well by now. Obviously he demanded the ultimax, and that's what we're getting.
Other car companies will eventually produce BEV sports cars. The less extreme, more affordable product will come. It may come from Audi, since they reportedly will replace the TT with an electric model. BMW are rumored to replace the i8 with a BEV model. There will be the Piech Mark Zero. There will be the Qiantu K50.
Yeah, I know. Kind of depressing. If you want something that's really appealing and will be here in a reasonable time frame, saving up your pennies for the new Tesla Roadster is pretty much what you're stuck with.
Yeah, well, you're more right than you may think. Self-control isn't exactly the highlight of the human race, and while many of us usually exercise appropriate self control, you know there are a few of us that can't, or that occasionally don't. Think alcohol abuse, drug overdose, bar fights, affairs, weapons use -- and the approximate 40,000 of us that lose our lives on the road each year in the US -- and you can be sure the EMTs will be scraping more than a few former Tesla Roadster owners off the asphalt each year. EVERY Hayabusa (and future Tesla Roadster) driver believes he or she will behave appropriately at all times while driving, but over time, and statistically, the numbers will prove just how wrong they are. I mean, were.
As an ex-Roadster 1.5 owner, sadly the 2020 Roadster is too much money and more performance than I want; too much for the street and too expensive a car for me to risk on the track.
I agree. Take that exact drivetrain and chassis, couple it to a 100kWh pack, improve the suspension and brakes, create a new coupe body for reduced frontal area (lower roofline, lower seating position), 2+2 seating, same dash and center display design, more supportive seats, price it at $95K and I bet it would sell like hot cakes and the profit margin would be ample because of using the Model 3 Performance drivetrain and Model 3 display and interface.
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
Tesla already sells a sporty P3 that has enhanced performance for those wanting something fast, but not as fast as a New Roadster.
Imagine what many are wanting is the uber cool looks of the New Roadster, with out the uber performance...at a lower price.
I can see Tesla at making something like that some day, but they most likely will make only the proposed version until their production capability exceeds their demand. Then they will release the Space X option with extraordinary performance to set world standards for high performance personal/track transportation.
Imagine that the release of the New Roadster will have something to do with Elon previously owning and loving his McLaren Supercar.
Someday the performance capabilities of the New Roadster will trickle down to their other cars.
Imagine what many are wanting is the uber cool looks of the New Roadster, with out the uber performance...at a lower price.
I can see Tesla at making something like that some day, but they most likely will make only the proposed version until their production capability exceeds their demand. Then they will release the Space X option with extraordinary performance to set world standards for high performance personal/track transportation.
Imagine that the release of the New Roadster will have something to do with Elon previously owning and loving his McLaren Supercar.
Someday the performance capabilities of the New Roadster will trickle down to their other cars.
That Chinese supercar look thing cannot even catch a Model 3 performance...How dare they charge 120k for such a crap?
I would expect there to be a real 3rd party mod factory to rebuild model 3 race cars, just like how AMG and ABT originally did for Mercedes and Audi before being part of them.
I doubt that Tesla will build a lower spec roadster. It would sell too well! I think the new roadster is intended to be a very exclusive, limited edition, low volume halo car that lays claim to (by far) fastest 0-60 production car... and I suspect they will keep goosing performance every time someone threatens that crown - not go the other direction.
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