How much more would you pay for a driver instrument cluster?

[happyguy]

@eisbock - agree. It's the ease of manufacturing. Tesla had said this from day one. Model 3 is designed for ease of manufacturing. It's not the h/w cost of the 2nd screen but the cost of manually installing the 2nd screen on the dash IMO.

 

[Lem89]

Can't the same fears be said when some cars eliminated such "normal" things as manual/standard transmissions, spare tires, front grilles, tailfins, wing vents, front bench seats, 8-track/cassette/CD decks, some physical/mechanical buttons in favor of touchscreens, or even gasoline engines? Yet, people are not running away from such vehicles in droves.

Sure, there will be some resistance and griping initially from some people who don't like anything that's different from what they're accustomed to. But sometimes you have to lead people rather than just follow the status quo if you want to effect any change. Is there risk associated with change? Sure, but there's also risk in NOT changing. If you don't take risks, you'll never improve. Time will tell if this particular design change will be accepted and succeed or not. If the vast majority of the Model 3 reservations convert to sales and new orders continue to come in at a rapid rate, its interior and user interface will become the new norm. If it flops, then Tesla will have to modify their interior/UI accordingly.

Anyone who can't accept what's shown after the final reveal or are concerned about what others might think of their future car should consider canceling their current reservation. No one should feel "forced" into buying something they don't like or about which they have to feel apologetic.

I loved sitting up in the front middle when I was a kid in our Oldsmobile.

 

[Lem89]

They're not removing functionality or information, just location. Instead of being in front it will be on the right of you (or left). I'm not buying a Model 3 to be fed information but to drive an electric car with high tech, long range, quick acceleration and good looks. Where the speedometer placed is not too big of a deal, the other things outweigh its importance.

 

[Model 3]

They're not removing functionality or information,

I agree that they do not remove information. But if it is harder for the driver to get that information, then they have removed functionality.

Where the speedometer placed is not too big of a deal

The speedometer is one thing, but that is not the only information that you normally will have in an IC. Warning lamps is my biggest concern.

 

[eisbock]

The average sales price of a new car in the US is right around $35k. I'm not sure that would qualify as a "luxury-priced" vehicle. Premium maybe. I suspect Tesla wants it to be perceived as premium. Elon did state that it will be the nicest car you can get for $35k.

We will certainly see how the market responds in a few years, but I think you are overestimating the importance of the behind the wheel instrument panel.

People keep talking about this potentially being a weird mobile. I'm thinking just the opposite. I think this will redefine cool and/or high tech for cars. I mean it's got great looks, great performance, it drives itself, no gas, glass roof, huge touchscreen, etc.
What else is going to come close in the next few years for that price?

In what world is $35k not "luxury-priced"?! Would you consider a BMW 3-series luxury? What about Audi A4? And Mercedes-Benz C-class?

The "average price" of a new car is just that: an average. A car can be $15k to $35k, or it can be $35k to $2,000,000 or even more. If we're talking normal production cars, the high end can be around $250,000. Do you see now that using the average is misleading? A better metric would be median, but that wouldn't support the narrative Elon is spinning.

Plus, on top of all that, $35k is base price. Average selling price will be much higher. Model 3 is luxury-priced, no doubt about that.

I think Elon is about to find his foot in his mouth pretty soon when professional reviews start coming out questioning his "best car you can buy for $35k" claim. Based on the spy shots, it's not. Some may value the overall Tesla experience higher with things like OTA updates, ease of purchase, supercharging, etc. but the build quality and feature set of the car itself does not exceed the likes of BMW.

 

[eisbock]

It does offer one. Because it is further away (and assuming it's placed correctly), your eyes have to move less and refocus less when shifting from the road to the screen. Not quite a heads up display, but fairly close.

Huh? Isn't this the point people have been arguing since the dawn of the Model 3 reveal? Being off to the side means you have to move your eyes further than if it's right in front of you.

It is not further away. It is within arm's reach so you can use it. Something like the Prius center readout is further away, which means less eye/head turning. Prius did it right because it's not covered by the steering wheel and is closer to the road. Model 3 is doing it wrong.

 

[EVNow]

I think Elon is about to find his foot in his mouth pretty soon when professional reviews start coming out questioning his "best car you can buy for $35k" claim. Based on the spy shots, it's not. Some may value the overall Tesla experience higher with things like OTA updates, ease of purchase, supercharging, etc. but the build quality and feature set of the car itself does not exceed the likes of BMW.

You could say the same thing for S.

 

[William3]

So when changing lanes to the left, we're now supposed to look down and to the right to see if the blind spot warning indicator is flashing? Sounds good to me!

 

[North75]

In what world is $35k not "luxury-priced"?! Would you consider a BMW 3-series luxury? What about Audi A4? And Mercedes-Benz C-class?

The "average price" of a new car is just that: an average. A car can be $15k to $35k, or it can be $35k to $2,000,000 or even more. If we're talking normal production cars, the high end can be around $250,000. Do you see now that using the average is misleading? A better metric would be median, but that wouldn't support the narrative Elon is spinning.

Plus, on top of all that, $35k is base price. Average selling price will be much higher. Model 3 is luxury-priced, no doubt about that.

I think Elon is about to find his foot in his mouth pretty soon when professional reviews start coming out questioning his "best car you can buy for $35k" claim. Based on the spy shots, it's not. Some may value the overall Tesla experience higher with things like OTA updates, ease of purchase, supercharging, etc. but the build quality and feature set of the car itself does not exceed the likes of BMW.

Sounds like the Model 3 is not for you.
For $35k you can get a base $33.5k 320i with a few options. I'd rather have the Tesla.
(and yes maybe you can get the BMW for under list, but you won't get any EV rebates on it)