Tesla likely does not care about either. I don't consider the Civic, Corolla, Sentra, Elantra, Cruze, or Focus to be in the
'econobox' category. Most of those are categorized by the EPA as Midsize cars, just as are their stablemates, Accord, Camry, Altima, Sonata, Malibu, and Fusion. I expect the Model ☰ will also receive a Midsize classification, though most of its direct competitors are listed as Compact instead.
As the Midsize offerings of
'regular' cars gradually go up in price, they will have to compete with the Model ☰, and they'll see their sales eroding as more and more potential Customers switch to electric. Because as the costs to traditional automobile manufacturers continue to go up
(due to attempting to adapt new technologies to improve fuel efficiency), while Tesla's own costs go down, there will be an overlap and crossover as the lower lines for Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Ford, and others move upmarket.
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No. The econoboxes tend to be a bit smaller, have a different configuration, and are often not very attractive at all. And often they are very, very... CHEAP. Perhaps more like the Yaris, Versa, Accent, and Sonic. Those are listed as Compact cars, 100-to-109 cubic feet of interior passenger/luggage volume.
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But why wouldn't Tesla care? Simple. These are typically among the most fuel efficient vehicles that traditional automobile manufacturers offer. They are also, as I noted before, usually rather poor sellers, especially when compared to their real moneymakers: SUVs and Pickup Trucks. So, small, cheap cars that are ugly and no one buys them, but at least they don't waste energy or pollute as much as other ICE vehicles. That makes this market segment a very low priority.
This is the part where some will protest,
"In the U.S.!" Yeah, sure. They are not popular here. That's the point. Tesla is an American company. They must succeed here. What would it look like if the Volkswagen Golf sold as poorly or worse in Germany as it currently does in the U.S.? Exactly. I believe that Tesla is capable of designing vehicles with worldwide appeal -- without falling into the econobox paradigm of uglified penalty box deathmobile commuter contraptions that the traditional automobile manufacturers force upon their customers.
Another point? Those types of cars should not be popular ANYWHERE. When people buy cheap cars, they deserve to not have to get ugly ones. That's why the majority of car buyers in the U.S. get used vehicles each and every year
($38,000,000 in 2015, compared to $17,000,000 new car buyers). So they can get something that is
'NEW' to them, a nice looking vehicle, a better vehicle than they perceive they could otherwise afford.
But you have to sell new cars before you can offer used ones. And attempting to sell econoboxes to start can put a stigma on a company that takes a long, long time to grow out of. The Hyundai Excel taught that lesson to the entire automotive industry. It took practically forever before the Hyundai Sonata and Elantra were both able to get within striking distance of the top ten passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. Tesla does not have 20-to-25 years and firm government backing or the deep pockets of an industrial giant to support them while they grow. So they must win over the populace with desirable cars from the outset. And econoboxes do not fit that bill at all.
