Pricing of options, I hope the Model 3 is reasonable.

[timk225]

I'm curious to find out what options will be available on the Model 3, aside from the obvious ones like bigger batteries, The D, autopilot, etc.

I'm mainly thinking of the smaller things, like paint and wheel choices, and interior options.

I have my "My Tesla" page activated so I can spec out a Model S, and when I play around with the options, I have to question the pricing a little bit.

For example, paint. The black and white solid colors are free, but any metallic is $1000 or more. I am hoping the Model 3 comes with more choices in the low cost solid colors, like blue and orange and green and yellow, not just black and white. If people want metallic versions of the colors that is up to them.

Then the wheels and tires. The base 19" wheel and tire looks fine, but the optional 19" is $2500. $2500 FOR WHAT?!?!?! A slightly different pattern wheel? Then the 21 inch wheels and tires. I know bigger tires are more expensive, but $4,500 ? And they aren't even all season tires!

Now for the interior. I never cared about leather so the base seats that look like some sort of cloth (is it?) will be fine with me. The leather seats have lighter colors that will brighten up the interior, but for $2500, I will survive with the standard seats.

And then my biggest gripe, the interior Décor choices. A piece of plastic trim on the center console, a piece going across the dashboard, and the surroundings of the instrument panel. You get the base black one for free, but having a pattern molded into it is $750 to $1000 for the one that looks like carbon fiber? Nah. I think I can go to the local auto parts store and get a roll of woodgrain tape and stick it on and have the same net effect for $5.99 .

I don't mind paying for options, but let the price fit the actual item being installed.

 

[Two9A]

A post in the main 3 forum stated a hope that the options will scale with the base cost: so if AP on a model S is $2500, AP on a 3 should be $1000 or $1250. That maintains the cost of the options as a percentage of the base, while making everything cheaper.

I know I'd be hard pressed to justify some of the more crazily priced options on a 3, if they remain at the price of the equivalent S option.

 

[marymcc]

Do they really charge extra for different colors????

 

[Model 3]

Do they really charge extra for different colors????

What they will do for the Model 3 is yet unknown. But in the meantime we can use what they do today on the Model S as a hint on what they will do:

No, they do not charge extra for different colors, but they do only offer it in solid black or solid white with the normal standard plain paint. They do charge extra for metallic paint (where the most of the colors is), and yet more for the multi-coat paint.

Maybe they will offer more solid colors on the Model 3? Maybe with or without taking any extra charge for that....

 

[S'toon]

Do they really charge extra for different colors????

This is not unusual. Every auto manufacturer I've seen has some standard colours for no charge, but charge extra for the nice colours.

 

[ummgood]

This is not unusual. Every auto manufacturer I've seen has some standard colours for no charge, but charge extra for the nice colours.

This isn't every auto manufacturer. This is German companies mostly. The BMW 3 series has black and white standard like Tesla and charges $550 to upgrade to metalic to get colors. Most mainstream cars might have 1 or 2 special colors that cost more but most are included in the base price. Think Honda, Acura, Toyota. Even the Lexus IS has most of the colors included in the base price. I think it depends on whom Tesla is planning on competing with in this car. I think less people will tolerate at this price point having to pay for any color other than black or white.

Personally I'll never have a white car because I washed fleet cars at a ford dealership when I was a teen and I hated it. I know it is a really silly reason not to want a white car but it is what it is. Black is too hot in Texas for me so I'll be paying if I have to to get silver or something else.

 

[Two9A]

I can verify that manufacturers will charge for different colours: my Hyundai was purchased new and was only available in red. Every other colour offered (five of them, if I recall) was an extra £500 above base.

Given that I bought this car at the base configuration, I think I'll be fairly happy with the base 3. Heck, I may get electric rear windows this time.

 

[WarpedOne]

This is easy way of increasing average price of sold cars i.e margin.
My bet is only a few colors at base price, with additional few at 'healthy' price.

 

[timk225]

This is easy way of increasing average price of sold cars i.e margin.
My bet is only a few colors at base price, with additional few at 'healthy' price.

Well I'll show them, I will order my car without ANY paint and ask for a discount below the base asking price!

I would NEVER own another black car because it makes it too hot, and black paint shows every little nick and dent and ding and speck of dust. It the body is not absolutely perfect, black will call attention to it like a strobe light! And since I won't pay extra for metallic paint, looks like it'll be a white Model 3 for me, unless other solid paint colors are available.

 

[ummgood]

There is a balance to play when having too many options and the cost of manufacturing. I don't think Tesla will be going with the Honda model yet but as they try to make the price lower there is some benefit from having 3 or 4 available trim levels and having fixed features per trim level. I doubt that is the way Tesla will go but it works really well for Honda and now on the new Maxima Nissan is doing the same.

 

[tga]

There is a balance to play when having too many options and the cost of manufacturing. I don't think Tesla will be going with the Honda model yet but as they try to make the price lower there is some benefit from having 3 or 4 available trim levels and having fixed features per trim level. I doubt that is the way Tesla will go but it works really well for Honda and now on the new Maxima Nissan is doing the same.

It works for Honda and Nissan because they generally don't build cars to order, cars are pushed through to dealer inventory, and there is a long lead time (ie, boat trip). So simplifying the customer's choices makes it easier to find one on this side of the pond that matches, since there are limited choices to begin with (also why lots of options are "dealer installed").

I'm pretty sure for the Japanese manufacturers, it's about ease of selling, not manufacturing.

 

[MrBoylan]

I'm curious to find out what options will be available on the Model 3, aside from the obvious ones like bigger batteries, The D, autopilot, etc.

I'm mainly thinking of the smaller things, like paint and wheel choices, and interior options.

...I don't mind paying for options, but let the price fit the actual item being installed.

The Model 3 will be smaller and much less expensive than an S or X. This means lower materials costs than comparable options on the S or X. I think all of the option pricing will be at least 20% or 25% lower on the Model 3 than on an S/X. Smaller motors should allow them to charge less than $5K for the AWD/dual motor upgrade (it's $5K on an S). And smaller wheels (which the Model 3 should have, given its smaller size) should allow for lower cost upgraded wheels. Maybe the Model 3 will have 17" wheels standard and 19" wheels as an upgrade option?

The same goes for paint: a smaller body means lower materials cost and a bit less time required to apply it. I expect that the upgraded (metallic) paint choices will be under $1000 on the Model 3, maybe $750? Multi-coat specialty paint may be $1000 or more (it's $1500 on the S and X). And something similar for the interior options. The materials cost is lower, so the option price should also be lower. Also, battery costs should be substantially lower by the time the Model 3 is being built so a 20 kWH battery upgrade (e.g., from 60 to 80) should be less than the $13K they currently charge to bump the S or the X up from 70 to 90 kWh.

Regardless of the actual cost savings in materials, there's also the perception that the options should be cheaper. I think Tesla has to charge less for options because it's a much lower base price. A $5,000 option on a $35,000 car seems like a lot more money than a $5,000 option on an $80,000 car. For this reason I expect that the "P" performance upgrade will be less than $20K if offered (I think it will be offered for $15K or less). Cold weather package, upgraded audio system, interior accents will all probably be a bit cheaper than on the larger cars.

The only exceptions I can foresee may be SuperCharger access (free on the Model S) which may be a paid option on the Model 3 (though it may be included on the larger battery pack version) and AutoPilot. AutoPilot is a game-changer, and so superior to the competition. And the feature should be substantially the same on an S or an X. So I'm guessing that they will charge the same for AutoPilot across the board on Model 3, S and X. I could be wrong though.

But don't think those details will be revealed tomorrow. On the Model X, we didn't know the details on options pricing until November 2015, nearly four years after the initial prototype was unveiled and two months after Tesla had already started delivering Founders cars. I expect the options pricing will probably not be announced/finalized for the Model 3 until late next year.

But if you're interested in the performance version, upgraded audio, larger battery, autopilot, supercharger access, etc., definitely leave more (potentially a lot more) room in your budget than $35,000.

 

[X Fan]

Hope I am pleasantly surprised but I don't expect to see detailed pricing tonight, just the vehicle and a generalized statement on pricing.

 

[Zaphod]

And then my biggest gripe, the interior Décor choices. A piece of plastic trim on the center console, a piece going across the dashboard, and the surroundings of the instrument panel. You get the base black one for free, but having a pattern molded into it is $750 to $1000 for the one that looks like carbon fiber? Nah. I think I can go to the local auto parts store and get a roll of woodgrain tape and stick it on and have the same net effect for $5.99 .

I don't mind paying for options, but let the price fit the actual item being installed.

The wood and carbon fiber trim are real in the S and X, not fake.

 

[MP3Mike]

Here is my guess at available options and pricing:
Base $ 35,000.00
Supercharging $ 1,500.00
Paint $ 1,000.00
Larger battery $ 7,500.00
AWD $ 4,000.00
Wheels $ 2,500.00
Auto-Pilot $ 2,500.00
Leather Seats $ 2,000.00
Premium Interior $ 2,500.00
Panoramic Roof $ 1,500.00
Fancy trim (Carbon fiber) $ 750.00
HiFi $ 2,000.00
Sub-Zero $ 1,000.00
Peformance $ 10,000.00
Ludicrous $ 5,000.00
High amp charger $ 1,000.00
Towing option $ 750.00
Smart Air Suspension $ 2,500.00
Carbon Fiber Spoiler $ 1,000.00
Grand total: $84,000.00 (pre tax and delivery fees)

 

[juanmedina]

^ I hope you are incorrect

 

[MrBoylan]

Here is my guess at available options and pricing:
Base $ 35,000.00
Supercharging $ 1,500.00
Paint $ 1,000.00
Larger battery $ 7,500.00
AWD $ 4,000.00
Wheels $ 2,500.00
Auto-Pilot $ 2,500.00
Leather Seats $ 2,000.00
Premium Interior $ 2,500.00
Panoramic Roof $ 1,500.00
Fancy trim (Carbon fiber) $ 750.00
HiFi $ 2,000.00
Sub-Zero $ 1,000.00
Peformance $ 10,000.00
Ludicrous $ 5,000.00
High amp charger $ 1,000.00
Towing option $ 750.00
Smart Air Suspension $ 2,500.00
Carbon Fiber Spoiler $ 1,000.00
Grand total: $84,000.00 (pre tax and delivery fees)

Seems like a reasonable guess to me. My speculation for a fully loaded Model 3 wasn't far off ($86500) but I didn't include the panoramic roof option as the Model 3 hadn't been shown when I made my guess. With Elon Tweeting that he thinks the average price will be around $42K, I'm thinking that they may not offer all the options that are in the S and X (like maybe Ludicrous mode?) or if they do, those options may be substantially cheaper than on the S and X. I do still think a fully loaded Model 3 will be over $75K though.

 

[MP3Mike]

I guess that the performance and ludicrous options would only cost 50% of what the Model S costs... Same with the larger battery. So it could easily go higher than $84k. (But I don't suspect most people will be checking all the boxes.)

 

[ABCCBA]

I am budgeting $70,000 for a fully loaded M3 DPP (Dual, Performance, Plaid)

 

[MP3Mike]

I am budgeting $70,000 for a fully loaded M3 DPP (Dual, Performance, Plaid)

So how would you take my option list and adjust it down to drop $12,500?

Base $ 35,000.00
Paint $ 1,000.00
Larger battery $ 7,500.00
Supercharging $ (included with larger battery)
AWD $ 4,000.00
Wheels $ 2,500.00
Auto-Pilot $ 2,500.00
Leather Seats $ 2,000.00
Premium Interior $ 2,500.00
Panoramic Roof $ 1,500.00
Fancy trim (Carbon fiber) $ 750.00
HiFi $ 2,000.00
Sub-Zero $ 1,000.00
Peformance $ 10,000.00
Ludicrous $ 5,000.00
High amp charger $ 1,000.00
Towing option $ 750.00
Smart Air Suspension $ 2,500.00
Carbon Fiber Spoiler $ 1,000.00
Grand total: $82,500.00 (pre tax and delivery fees)