So this is it (first time in a Model S)

[AustinPowers]

...
After that the whole service model doesn't look to appealing. The service center is an houre away, if the car breaks down who pays the the truck? Even regular service seems to be a hassle. Sure in theory they should come and get it and bring you another tesla.. But Customer service wasn't so sure as in 'when' that service will be available in europe. ...

You're right, the service model I hadn't even thought about, but that's definitely a contra-argument for me. Having to pay a large (in America now even larger) sum up front, going into service each year or every 12,500 miles while at the same time telling everyone how advantageous and cheap it is to service a Model S. I know the American Model S owners on this forum in that context often tell about their expensive maintenance, broken parts and very regular oil changes in their former ICE's, but I just never experienced that with any of my cars. Up to now my car was really cheap to run and service, having an oil change about every 30,000 km, a service roughly every three years (at a few hundred Euro each), and no expensive repair of broken parts. Perhaps I was just lucky, but I don't think so as it the same with my family and friends / colleagues.

Anyway, that is still not to say I dislike the Model S, it's just one of the reasons why I think Tesla will have a harder time in this market then what they might think.

 

[nikwest]

I think that the Model S has a huge opportunity in Germany. There are so many people having solar panels on their roof and I think this in combination with an EV will give a lot of people the feeling of freedom that will compensate for range concerns.
The biggest disadvantage I see is the size of the Model S. it's just too large for European standards.

Also because more of the people only own one car compared to the US I think Model S will do a better job convincing people to replace their single car with an EV than any other EV in the market today.

 

[AustinPowers]

Yes to the number of solar panels on the roof, but most people feed that electricity straight into the grid because of the highly susidized price they get for it. Very few people use that energy directly.

Too large perhaps not in general, but too wide.
And about the one car per household - that might be another problem. If you want to fully replace an ICE, at the moment an EV doesn't seem like the first choice for many people. Especially because of the range anxiety that is associated with wanting to go on holiday in your car.

 

[William13]

I agree with AustinPowers. Germany will likely be Tesla's least successful market especially when compared with similarly priced cars.

Conservative.
High speed autobahn is not ideal for Model S.
Not German.
High cost for electricity is likely to worsen with not in my back yard effect making new transmission lines unlikely.
Few per capita when income adjusted reservations currently.
Service and charging concerns are ongoing "which comes first chicken or the egg" phenomenon.

 

[jdevo2004]

The people who buy expensive cars in Germany go fast on the Autobahn. Tesla will not do well in this market due to much shorter range at very high speeds. The German people believe German cars are the best and prefer to buy German when they can.

 

[AustinPowers]

The German people believe German cars are the best and prefer to buy German when they can.

Not in general, otherwise we wouldn't have so many people - especially in the lower price segment - buying Dacia, Skoda, Kia, Hyundai, Chevrolet and the like.

But you are right when it comes to premium and luxury cars. People here spending a high amount of money for a car tend to prefer German cars as they are perceived to have the highest quality. Apart from the top luxury segment (like Rolls, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ferrari) where there are no German competitors - ok, many of these companies are owned by German carmakers, but still.
This surely is one of the reasons why companies like Lexus or Infiniti (which hasn't even been around for more than a few years here) or the high-end cars from other foreign (especially French) manufacturers had and have such a hard time here.

And of course there is the problem of the missing dealers for Tesla. Germans are used to order their cars at a dealership - which is usually within a few miles of one's home. The concept of "stores" (like in "Apple stores") to sell cars is very different for a start. And then there are the practicalities. There are only three stores for the whole of Germany right now (and I don't think we will ever get to a point where there will be "a lot" or at least so many that they are within easy reach of the general buyer). I happen to be lucky that the Frankfurt store is just 10 minutes from my workplace, but for most people such luck isn't the case. And if you have to travel several hundred miles to just see the car, let alone collect or later service it (if you don't have ranger service), that surely will discourage a lot of potential buyers.

 

[Blvr888]

Bet all these "rational" arguments fade away, once you drove this car :smile:

 

[dsm363]

Not in general, otherwise we wouldn't have so many people - especially in the lower price segment - buying Dacia, Skoda, Kia, Hyundai, Chevrolet and the like.

But you are right when it comes to premium and luxury cars. People here spending a high amount of money for a car tend to prefer German cars as they are perceived to have the highest quality. Apart from the top luxury segment (like Rolls, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ferrari) where there are no German competitors - ok, many of these companies are owned by German carmakers, but still.
This surely is one of the reasons why companies like Lexus or Infiniti (which hasn't even been around for more than a few years here) or the high-end cars from other foreign (especially French) manufacturers had and have such a hard time here.

And of course there is the problem of the missing dealers for Tesla. Germans are used to order their cars at a dealership - which is usually within a few miles of one's home. The concept of "stores" (like in "Apple stores") to sell cars is very different for a start. And then there are the practicalities. There are only three stores for the whole of Germany right now (and I don't think we will ever get to a point where there will be "a lot" or at least so many that they are within easy reach of the general buyer). I happen to be lucky that the Frankfurt store is just 10 minutes from my workplace, but for most people such luck isn't the case. And if you have to travel several hundred miles to just see the car, let alone collect or later service it (if you don't have ranger service), that surely will discourage a lot of potential buyers.

I'm sure you are undoubtedly right and understand the German market much better than most of us do but don't you think this applies everywhere (though maybe to a lesser degree than Germany)? Not many people, especially in the US compared to Europe, are used to ordering a car and then having to wait to pick it up. Americans almost always buy directly off of the auto dealer's lot. Tesla has done things differently and so far been able to sell cars in the US with this method.

 

[nikwest]

I'm sure you are undoubtedly right and understand the German market much better than most of us do but don't you think this applies everywhere (though maybe to a lesser degree than Germany)? Not many people, especially in the US compared to Europe, are used to ordering a car and then having to wait to pick it up. Americans almost always buy directly off of the auto dealer's lot. Tesla has done things differently and so far been able to sell cars in the US with this method.

Actually I was thinking exactly the same when reading it. That's one of the many things why Tesla is a disruptive company ...

 

[tobi_ger]

Not many people, especially in the US compared to Europe, are used to ordering a car and then having to wait to pick it up. Americans almost always buy directly off of the auto dealer's lot. Tesla has done things differently and so far been able to sell cars in the US with this method.

Maybe AustinPowers actually meant "buy" instead of "order" in his message in that way, that you "order" an already existing car from the dealerships' lot to be prepped and ready when you come back with the cash and/or finalize the purchase contract.
My take is, that private buyers usually don't "order" from the manufacturer here in Germany, neither, because we'd like to see multiple cars for comparison purposes.