Red Sage
The Cybernetic Samurai
Hmmm... Those of us who post here do have a tendency to forget this is a rather international community. Please forgive us from taking a rather U.S.-Centric point of view from time-to-time.Some people in this thread seem to forget that $35k is a heck of a lot of money and the base model of the BMW 3 series falls well under that. The cheapest Mercedes C-class on-the-road price is £29k, which is around $35k, and that is a Mercedes.
$35k is a lot of money for most people, you're already at a par or above other executive-level sedans.
That said... The majority of vehicles sold in the U.S. each year are used/preowned cars and trucks. Something like 38,000,000 of them were sold in 2015 here. Those averaged over $18,000 each, and over ten years of age. Meanwhile, new car sales were around 17,000,000 vehicles, with an average sale price of over $33,000. Thus, within the realm of 'new car sales' a $35,000 price point for a base Model ☰ is right in line with affordability for most who are looking to buy new.
Perhaps some cars cost less in Britain? But in the U.S., the base price for a Mercedes-Benz C-Class is currently $39,500. That is the car the Tesla Model ☰ will compete against. Meanwhile, Mercedes' introductory vehicle, the CLA-Class 4-Door Coupe, has a base price of $32,400. Today, £29,000 comes to $35,900. And, $39,500 is around £31,906 -- not £29,000.
So, yeah, it is 'a lot of money for most people' but as I've already pointed out, 'most people' buy used cars, not new ones. Tesla doesn't even have any vehicles that are ten years old. That will take a while to achieve. And the only 'used' cars they sell these days are typically less than five years old.
You know what though? You have to sell new cars first, before they can someday be used cars that 'most people' can afford to buy. Also, people who are in the market to buy a new car, don't buy 'cheap' new cars. They'd rather by 'cheaper' than new cars that are 'new to them', instead. Funny how that works, ain't it?
Ultimately, the notion that a $35,000 new car is not for 'most people' can be rather easily filed under 'DUH' for future reference.