In particular, a Truck platform to take on the Ford F150/250/350... market.
Due to the nature of an electric motor to deliver torque instantaneously, I would hope they skip an F-150 or F-250 analog and begin with F-350, F-450, and F-550 capable competitors. That is, start at no less than Class III, Class IV, and Class V towing capability.
With either Tesla, or 3rd parties, taking those trucks and putting all kinds of different truck beds on the vehicle (I suspect 3rd parties will do this work). The Truck platform gets them into panel vans and other light commercial vehicles.
I rather sincerely disagree with this sentiment. Tesla Motors will certainly work with third parties for some things... Like developing a good fifth wheel gooseneck type assembly, or allowing for a proper weight distribution tow hitch.... But I seriously believe they will not offer bare back chassis that someone else can customize at will. So, campers, flatbeds, dump trucks, tool trucks, and the like with interchangeable beds that bolt in place on a ladder frame will not be allowed. Instead, the truck configuration will be
'as is' for some time. Because the Tesla reputation is based upon safety and reliability, allowing such customization makes for a difficult position as it forces Tesla to trust the engineering capabilities of third parties over their own. I am certain that Tesla would prefer that each configuration be engineered and designed internally, so that crash testing and improvements to design could be performed and evaluated by their own staff.
A medium duty (my terminology - I don't know the industry term) Truck platform for delivery etc.. uses that's on the big side for a pickup truck, but still in that vicinity.
Well, that would be around F-650 and F-750 capabilities, I think. So, Class VI and Class VII towing and hauling levels. The greater range and cargo capacity and towing ability, the more impressive Tesla pickups will be.
They've already announced that work is going on around Tesla Semi - that needs to come to market and scale.
I suspect that the initial releases will be for internal use. To Deliver battery packs from Sparks NV to Fremont CA. Very much a 'proof of concept' at first. Then, allowing limited fleet sales/leasing to distribution businesses and municipalities.
You've got a variety of body styles around the Model 3 - the 4 door sedan, a 2 door, a CUV, a station wagon. Maybe a small pickup truck, but I think that's more likely to be a new platform.
As much as I'd love to see something of a Ranchero, Caballero, or El Camino configuration... Most people at least claim to despise such small trucks/utes. And almost the same level of pure vitriol is leveled at work trucks like the Dakota or Tacoma. They really don't sell very well at all, though full sized trucks are continually growing in popularity.
The point is that after Model 3, there's at least 1 more platform still to bring to market, and then there are a variety of body styles to add onto those 3 different platforms that will exist at that point, and all of that needs doing to really build volumes and push manufacturers across all of their product lines.
Exactly.
There might be another down market push that's needed, and maybe autonomy gets us to a world where the Model 3 marks the new bottom of the market (I don't have an opinion either way).
Elon Musk recently stated that it won't be necessary to go further down-market than Model ☰ after all. Most likely he believes that ride sharing of autonomous vehicles will allow those who cannot buy a new car the ability to travel without personal ownership for less money. I tend to point out two things: 1) Until Tesla Motors has sufficient capacity it is unwise to directly take on vehicles with a starting price below $25,000; and 2) By the time Tesla Motors has the needed capacity, the cars that currently occupy that price point will have migrated to higher price points.
Challenging the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, or Ford Fusion will be extremely difficult prior to Tesla Motors being able to build at least 3,000,000 units per year. The same is true of Corolla, Civic, and Focus. They will likely need to have capacity of over 5,000,000 units per year to challenge those vehicles and the full sized pickup market as well.
The average sale price for new cars is already over $33,000 in the US. Most new cars sell at around $22,000 to $24,000 though.
All of that needs answering before Tesla invests design and production resources on a low volume supercar.
Many of those points must be addressed before there is even a relatively high volume Model ☰ Coupe available. Hence, why I consider myself
'at the back of the line'. Everyone else will get what they want before I can.
For these reasons, and knowing that a Tesla Roadster Revisited isn't actually something that will happen anytime soon (I hazard a guess at a minimum of a decade), the prudent thing to do is do a Model 3 version of a BMW M3 - big battery pack, outlandish discharge rates, AWD, ridiculous 0-60 times (hence my <2.5 poll vote), upgraded suspension, and hopefully - overgunned cooling system for the battery, electronics, and motor so that the tracksters will have an EV to make Nurburgring runs in. Even if it's a smallish 4 door sedan in the beginning, instead of a proper sports car.
A two seater sports car may come a little sooner, but not by much. Maybe six-to-eight years instead of the previously hoped for 4 years or less. And instead of two cars, a Model R Supercar and Model Z Hypercar, perhaps only one of them would see the light of day prior to 2025.
And another reason - can anybody here seriously believe that Elon would bring a new car to market, that COULD be faster than something else already being built by Tesla, and NOT make it faster?
I have argued for quite some time that it will be the Model ☰ that first exceeds 300 kph in the Tesla lineup. The larger vehicles are fine at around 250 kph instead.
Do all that and the top trim Model 3 will be our stand-in for Roadster Revisited for the next 10ish years.
Oh - and I expect it'll be close to or into 6 figures.
The Model ☰ will do a great job. Especially if a Coupe is made available with Falcon Wing Doors, or as a Convertible. I figure that as long as there is a version of the Chevrolet Corvette that can be purchased new for under $100,000 Tesla will want to have a similar price point for their next two seater.
There may well have been something else I wanted to add, but it's rather late and I need to get some sleep...
