I read your well-composed post with interest and generally agree with you, though I am less confident of your conclusion.thought about perhaps covering it up with vinyl or carbon fiber or what have you. I wondered what exactly Tesla was going for with this very peculiar choice
Like you, I am deeply impressed with the Model 3 design, inside and out. The only aspect I am puzzled by is the wood dash piece. From the moment I saw it at the Model 3 launch event I’ve never liked it. It seems jarringly out of place to me, and the specific veneer used looks crude to my eyes. Was it chosen to remind us of “the natural beauty and vitality of this planet“? Maybe. I have no visibility into the Tesla design teams choices. The use of wood in cars likely goes back to very early automobiles having evolved from wooden wagons and carriages, and later came to symbolize a connection to luxury, as you note in your post.
In a 21st century all electric vehicle I think it is time to move past those connotations and utilize modern materials. I ended up with the white interior in my Model 3 because the white seats looked so amazing with silver paint (I think they look great with any paint color except black). If I had a black interior I would want to wrap the dash wood. It is of course personal preference and an aesthetic choice; there is no “right” answer.