I love my model 3 (2020 LR) and want a second electric with the functionality of an SUV hatch. The model Y is nice but a little too big. Why not produce a Model 3 with a hatch back? Minimal design and manufacturing differences could produce a compelling slightly smaller version of the Model Y.
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How to easily boost Model 3 sales volume
- Thread starter RCMorgan
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That's basically what the Y is. It's barely even bigger. The amount of people not willing to buy because of the small size difference is probably almost zero.
just looked. A hair over 2 inches longer and a bit under 3 inches wider. That's negligible.
just looked. A hair over 2 inches longer and a bit under 3 inches wider. That's negligible.
Also, your idea of "easily" is amusing to me. It's not trivial to just change from a trunk to a hatch, there is a lot that goes in to every change. You now have a new piece of glass to have someone manufacture, you now have to manage inventory for it. Same goes for the seal.
next is the hatch body panel. You need to make this in house, so you have to design it, create the die, etc. more inventory management.
done, right? Nope. Interior trim is now different and will require several new parts. Same stuff as above applies. The lift hardware, too. So on, so forth.
But wait, that's just the hatch. You also need to change the quarter panels, and their glass, with all the problems above.
Also the shelf behind the seats, and thus the seats themselves in all likelihood.
the roof, and thus roof glass, seals, and body panels for the upper section. Headliner. Probably the cross support.
possibly the rear doors.
the carpet, even.
so now you've made all these changes, which means the bill of materials for the model 3 has changed dramatically, and now all model 3 builds are affected because previous assumptions are no longer valid.
manufacturing isn't simple and changes are rarely easy.
next is the hatch body panel. You need to make this in house, so you have to design it, create the die, etc. more inventory management.
done, right? Nope. Interior trim is now different and will require several new parts. Same stuff as above applies. The lift hardware, too. So on, so forth.
But wait, that's just the hatch. You also need to change the quarter panels, and their glass, with all the problems above.
Also the shelf behind the seats, and thus the seats themselves in all likelihood.
the roof, and thus roof glass, seals, and body panels for the upper section. Headliner. Probably the cross support.
possibly the rear doors.
the carpet, even.
so now you've made all these changes, which means the bill of materials for the model 3 has changed dramatically, and now all model 3 builds are affected because previous assumptions are no longer valid.
manufacturing isn't simple and changes are rarely easy.
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I own a model 3 and recently drove a Model Y. It’s noticeable bigger inside and has more space for cargo. It’s not a huge difference but it is noticeably more spacious and practical.
sure, which is why going through the huge amount of time and energy to make a hatchback model 3 just to save a small exterior dimension change is ridiculous.
they could also just back down on their stupid resistance to allowing FSD transfers for early buyers who want a new car but still haven't gotten what they preordered. That'd boost sales across the board without having to spend a cent.
Producing "slightly different, but mostly the same" versions of bread and butter vehicles is a way to lose money, not make more money (see companies like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc etc downsizing the number of models they make because they did this EXACT thing).
All that really does is segment the installed base of each vehicle a bit. As @run-the-joules says, the number of people who actually are not buying a model y because its "too big" but would buy a hatchback version of a model 3 anyway is likely very small. Almost anyone who would buy said car would have been a person who would have bought either a 3 or a Y anyway, so tesla wouldnt gain anything by this.
Certainly not enough to do all the engineering etc that would be required to do, to do this.
I thought, when I read this thread, I would see something like "Tesla needs to make a pickup truck that doesnt look like a mars rover, or something out of a video game "fake future". THAT would raise sales (a pickup truck that looks like a regular (ish) truck, not some video game creation.
There are obviously plenty of people who have reserved "cybertrucks", but there are orders of magnitude more that would buy an EV truck with the specs that it is supposed to have, if it looked even remotely "normal" like the Rivian is supposed to (as an example).
The supposedly $25k Chinese-designed hot hatch may meet your needs. Just gotta wait.
Tesla's $25,000 Model 2 electric car rendered – Dope or Nope? - Electrek
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