How long before 35k SR gets pulled?

[VQTRVA]

I think the $35K version will become the one made in China. As VW and others push their price point to $30K and below in the next year or two, China production will allow competing with those new models.

FWIW, the new VW I.D. sedan based on the MEB platform at $30K looks like a real alternative to the Model 3. The mature manufacturers will finally be providing real competition next year.

A $30K Model 3 with steel roof, steel rims, cloth interior, manual seats, etc. would pull in a bunch of other buyers for Tesla.

Only problem with Chinese made SR are the possible trade tariffs.

 

[Knightshade]

Only problem with Chinese made SR are the possible trade tariffs.

also pretty sure they explicitly said the Chinese 35k model 3 was only for the Chinese market customers.

They could change their mind of course.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

They will keep it around. It's a compliance car, they need it to comply with their £35k promise.

Also by making it off-menu it gives them an opportunity to pressure-sell you into a more expensive model. I imagine the actual number they are selling is very small.

Tesla met their's and Elon's promise for a US$35K Model 3. Its already off the website, and therefore save to assume will stop being available in any form very soon, maybe by end of April, maybe by end of this week.

 

[Reeler]

Tesla will have to do something if they cannot make money on a SR, yet the competition from the incumbent manufacturers at a lower price point will cause serious issues. Something has to give so we can all speculate on how that unfurls, but remember my prediction.

 

[Knightshade]

Tesla will have to do something if they cannot make money on a SR, yet the competition from the incumbent manufacturers at a lower price point will cause serious issues. Something has to give so we can all speculate on how that unfurls, but remember my prediction.

We have yet to actually see much of the competition produce anything profitable at a lower price point.

It's been "coming soon" for years now.

 

[Reeler]

We have yet to actually see much of the competition produce anything profitable at a lower price point.

It's been "coming soon" for years now.

$30K Chevy Bolts are a regular thing now with incentives and dealer discounts. I am sure the Nissan LEAF will soon be there and they have the full Federal tax incentive.

 

[Knightshade]

$30K Chevy Bolts are a regular thing now with incentives and dealer discounts.

And they lose money on every one- so that's not really a valid reponse.

GM admits Chevy Bolt not profitable - LeftLaneNews

$3
I am sure the Nissan LEAF will soon be there and they have the full Federal tax incentive.

and aren't really a Tesla competitor any more than a corolla is a BMW 3 series competitor.... and the sales numbers on em certainly seem to support they idea they're not putting any competitive pressure whatsoever on Tesla.

 

[Reeler]

I could care less if the car brand is making money or not, especially if they don't care. Tesla does care so will have to figure out something.

A $35K Model 3 SR may have styling that appeals to folks who frequent the luxury car brands, but it is not a luxury car by any stretch. It doesn't have Carplay/Auto, heated seats, heated steering, adaptive cruise, leather or cloth interior options, real buttons, etc. It is a matter of taste, but as someone who owns a couple Chevy Bolts and a couple Model 3s, my preference is the Chevy.

The new VWs on the MEB platform look slick so the styling issue will be gone soon if you don't like Kia, Nissan, Chevy, etc.

 

[OCR1]

A $35K Model 3 SR may have styling that appeals to folks who frequent the luxury car brands, but it is not a luxury car by any stretch. It doesn't have Carplay/Auto, heated seats, heated steering, adaptive cruise, leather or cloth interior options, real buttons, etc. It is a matter of taste, but as someone who owns a couple Chevy Bolts and a couple Model 3s, my preference is the Chevy.

The new VWs on the MEB platform look slick so the styling issue will be gone soon if you don't like Kia, Nissan, Chevy, etc.

I don’t know. Everyone’s definition of luxury is different I guess. Legacy automakers defined luxury with high end materials and other options like the ones you mentioned. But I think Tesla has redefined luxury by focusing on substantially improving the technology in their cars so that they can do things that were previously unheard of in ICE cars. And millennials in particular will respond more favorably to Tesla’s technology than they will to those other things. I would gladly drive a $35K Tesla Model 3 over a MBZ or BMW because I have no interest in paying over $4.00/gallon in gas, or going in for regular oil changes and expensive routine maintenance services,

More importantly, I have no interest in going back to the driving dynamics of an ICE car, even a high end luxury one. I traded in my $75K Lexus LS460 for a Model 3, and while the interior in the Lexus was nicer, the Tesla is far more advanced, which in my mind equates to being far more luxurious.

 

[ammulder]

I don’t think the question is whether you’d go back to an ICE. The question is whether any luxury brand is going to create a luxury EV with the performance of a Tesla. Porsche Taycan — already advertising as being slower 0-60 than the M3P. What the $&^# is up with that? Audi, Jaguar... all three more expensive, and slower. You can buy nicer leather but not a better motor? From Porsche?

 

[Reeler]

Jaguar and Porsche are luxury brands. Tesla is a minimalist brand, not luxury as that term is known. Minimal options, minimal buttons, etc. I think a slick looking VW with German engineering and a traditional (i.e., not minimalist) design will be the Model 3s real competition. There is a Model Y competitor that they are making too.

Truth be told, I am not a fan of minimalism, but the Teslas do look cool. Right now, they have the only cheap AWD EV so I have to put up with Tesla at least in the winters in Denver. The second there is another AWD for around $30K after tax breaks, you will see me selling. Not sure about my wife's Model S though.

 

[ebmcs03]

I do feel for the original LR RWD buyers who spent more than a current P3D.

Thanks. There wasn’t enough salt in my wound. Please add more.

 

[Legen---dary]

Jaguar and Porsche are luxury brands. Tesla is a minimalist brand, not luxury as that term is known. Minimal options, minimal buttons, etc. I think a slick looking VW with German engineering and a traditional (i.e., not minimalist) design will be the Model 3s real competition. There is a Model Y competitor that they are making too.

Truth be told, I am not a fan of minimalism, but the Teslas do look cool. Right now, they have the only cheap AWD EV so I have to put up with Tesla at least in the winters in Denver. The second there is another AWD for around $30K after tax breaks, you will see me selling. Not sure about my wife's Model S though.

I love the minimalism. That, and the fact we'll eventually have voice-control over many functions. Guess growing up with ST TNG influenced my tastes.

My dream abode has always been something as serene and plain as a traditional Japanese home surrounding a rock garden, yet infused with the latest of the latest in tech, all but invisible.

My 3 comes closest to that, so far, although I'm not moving in until there's a toilet.

 

[Reeler]

I love the minimalism. That, and the fact we'll eventually have voice-control over many functions. Guess growing up with ST TNG influenced my tastes.

My dream abode has always been something as serene and plain as a traditional Japanese home surrounding a rock garden, yet infused with the latest of the latest in tech, all but invisible.

I am fine with minimalism if it is coupled to a price that reflects many of the normal features are gone. As far as voice control, the Tesla recognition is far worse than Android Auto. Ikea is minimalist, but also cheap.

If Tesla would support screen mirroring (i.e., Android Auto and Apple Car Play), I could live with the proprietary audio options. I travel most of the time and having screen mirroring gives me consistency regardless of what I am driving. It pisses me off to try to use Tesla's best-in-class circa-2014 head unit to the point where I prefer driving my Chevy Bolt as the Model 3 sits largely unused.

 

[ammulder]

I expect the reason we haven't seen Auto/CarPlay yet is that I bet those systems expect to "own" the display. Which Tesla can't do because they need to keep the left side content. If that's the case, it's probably not straightforward to bridge those mismatched expectations. But... maybe not hopeless.

 

[Knightshade]

I expect the reason we haven't seen Auto/CarPlay yet is that I bet those systems expect to "own" the display. Which Tesla can't do because they need to keep the left side content. If that's the case, it's probably not straightforward to bridge those mismatched expectations. But... maybe not hopeless.

FWIW carplay has been able to run inside a split-screen window since at least 2017, so that'd be a non-issue if they wanted to offer it.

The more glaring omission to me is the lack of many useful voice commands- which should be incredibly simple to add but here we are closing in on 2 years since first model 3 rolled off the assembly line and it's still largely the same tiny crap list of available commands as when launched.

(I know there's some non-working code someone found suggesting more to come... those are things that should already be done though)

 

[ammulder]

FWIW carplay has been able to run inside a split-screen window since at least 2017, so that'd be a non-issue if they wanted to offer it.

Well, that's cool. Even less hopeless, then. It would sell my wife, that's for sure.

 

[Reeler]

Tesla already has a relationship with Google for the maps. I think Apple might require a proprietary chip, but not Android Auto. Adding this functionality in a window should be very easy. That would get me driving my Tesla more often.

Heck, they could even synch podcast play between cars and that would be an improvement so I start where I left off in another car on my account. Suffice to say, if you listen to books on tape or podcasts in your car the Tesla entertainment audio features are useless.

 

[xtcEV]

Tesla already has a relationship with Google for the maps. I think Apple might require a proprietary chip, but not Android Auto. Adding this functionality in a window should be very easy. That would get me driving my Tesla more often.

Heck, they could even synch podcast play between cars and that would be an improvement so I start where I left off in another car on my account. Suffice to say, if you listen to books on tape or podcasts in your car the Tesla entertainment audio features are useless.

Android Auto is too easily hacked and the back door to get into the teslas OS.

 

[xtcEV]

FWIW carplay has been able to run inside a split-screen window since at least 2017, so that'd be a non-issue if they wanted to offer it.

The more glaring omission to me is the lack of many useful voice commands- which should be incredibly simple to add but here we are closing in on 2 years since first model 3 rolled off the assembly line and it's still largely the same tiny crap list of available commands as when launched.

(I know there's some non-working code someone found suggesting more to come... those are things that should already be done though)

I'll get around lack of voice commands by hooking up my Alexa Echo Input into the cars speakers but it's sad I have to do that.
It
Again it's making me rethink my purchase because at it's current tech level, I can find workarounds and get another EV with same range. The car seems to come with broken promises. I know some people can live with that but I don't have vast disposable income, so I have to look for value.
I'm getting nauseous from researching this car so much, only to start getting disappointed.