Model S - still #1 selling large luxury sedan in US

[TicoMcC]

If those luxury models were to get the battery and driving performance of a Tesla, the increased cost would put them in a different league. Conversely for Tesla, if they were to achieve the luxury and quality levels of those models, the price would increase accordingly.

Tesla won over many people who would not have paid anywhere near $100k for extra fanciness offered by "true" luxury cars.

So true! I have never owned a car that cost more than $22k and I held onto it for 17 years (2001 Toyota Celica GTS - loved it) because I wasn't going to buy another ICE vehicle and I wanted a car that would be fun to drive. $112k later I took possession of my 2017 MS100D and I couldn't be much happier.

Now, I have a college roommate who has been the CEO of several 500 companies that has had top-of-the line BMWs and Jaguars. I have ridden in and driven both (albeit for very limited amounts of time). So I have had just a taste of luxury, but I would never have spent even $50k for either of them. Call it luxury or premium, makes no nevermind to me. To each their own.

 

[voltage]

I don’t get the comparison of a Mercedes S class and Model S. S class starts at $94k with no options. For that price it should have a more luxurious interior. Model S starts at $80k. After that Mercedes is much more expensive to maintain and operate - thousands of dollars a year more.