Let me tell You a word or two about the reception of Tesla and EV´s in Germany. This is an opinion.
Consider it at least rough, if not hostile terrain for the time being.
Germans are a conservative people that are very hard to convince of the good of the other way. Other paths than the most trodden are often viewed with great suspicion. Americans seem to me much more adaptable to „the new“ in general.Germans perceive their cars as their lovechild („Des Deutschen liebstes Kind“ is even a proverb for the car). The german Auto-industry is among the best and biggest in the world. We care about a lot about the condition of our Freeways and a lot of daily talk at work spins around which Autobahn may be jam-free at the end of the day. Sprit-prices are a matter of daily discussion. The industry provides a ton of jobs over here, too. In my opinion there is a lot of fear of change over here. Fear to lose the Nr.1 position, fear to lose money, jobs, and fear being inferior on a field that people regard as Nr.1 priority. There are other reasons that have to do with the "energy-tournaround" politics of the Gov, but that would lead too far here. The incentives the Merkel-Government is giving for EV´s is miserable compared to what other governments do (10 year- tax free).
That being said: Once You convince Germans and overcome this suspicion, You have dropped an anchor in their hearts and minds that can hold for a VERY long time. Longer perhaps than with most other people. And it sits tight. That is what gives me hope for the Gen.III (Model E ?), because to win Germany, Tesla has to do (and is doing) the following:
1.) build an affordable - max. 30.000 € - car (Germany may be rich, Germans are not. The middle class are aching under the high cost pressure from every corner)
2.) The car has most advantages of the Model S but range must be even better. People here want to blast over the Autobahn driving 140-160+ km/h (87-100+ mph), it is their usual habit
3.) Make Germans realize that they can drive for free through the Supercharger System from Munich to Hamburg and to their holiday destinations
4.) Convince them that Tesla cars are cleaner than ICE´s and that battery technology is contemporary – It sounds strange on this forum but it is a major argument of the many many critics I read on the forums throughout the media landscape over here
You might say that Tesla already is doing these things but that is exactly my point. It takes a looong time to kick in here. I am convinced this will change when germans SEE the Model S, it will grow with the superchargers and the Model X and become an Avalanche in about 5 years, if Tesla does the Gen III right. If Tesla manages to make the Gen III the new „Volkswagen“, they will have a stable consistent place in the Auto-Heart of the german consumers. I have no doubt this will happen, if Tesla holds course.
So I wouldn`t say germans are not pleased with Tesla, but there is a LOT of work to convincing to do here. Once it´s done, a big steady flow of revenue will be coming from Germany.
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Sorry. I had this thread formatted nicely but my browser or whatever does not allow me to edit this properly.
I will bring it in shape once I come home.
