Some perplexing pricing scenarios in Design Studio

[canuckbuyer]

1. New generation seats were $3600 front and back and are now front only with no price reduction - this is just not equitable
2. Interior package has been reduced from $4600 to $3600 - nice but why?
3. New Executive rear seats are $2100 but if you order interior package as well, the winter package that costs $850 is free?

Any comments?

 

[Danal]

1. Next Gen seats includes Next Gen in front and Premium Leather in back. So compare the price to a car that is already upgraded Textile > Leather which is $1500 USD. So the net for Next Gen up front is really $2000 USD. I'd be really curious if there are any aftermarket seats you could get that would be an improvement, installed, for $1000 per seat up front.

If what you are saying is "At one point in the past, Tesla offered Next Gen up front and in the back for this price", that is a factual statement. I had/have a car on order where I could have gotten exactly that, NG front and back. When Tesla called me and asked which way I wanted the car, I chose NG front, and Premium Leather back. So... it is all personal choice. Worth it? Only you can say if the $2000 is worth the NG seats up front (vs. leather all around).

2. No clue.

3. Actually, the Executive Rear seats "force" the winter package; you get the whole thing, including heated stearing, wipers, etc, etc. So you can regard it as Exec + Winter is $2000 USD, or you can regard it as Winter $750 and Exec $1250. Either viewpoint is valid. Are exec seats worth $1250 plus forcing the winter package? Not to me. In fact, if exec (which don't fold) were the only option in the back, I would not order a Model S. I'd wait for the X.

 

[yobigd20]

1. New generation seats were $3600 front and back and are now front only with no price reduction - this is just not equitable
2. Interior package has been reduced from $4600 to $3600 - nice but why?
3. New Executive rear seats are $2100 but if you order interior package as well, the winter package that costs $850 is free?

Any comments?

IMO They chopped out 3 out of 5 seats so the price should have been reduced by 60%. This is just an example of Tesla getting greedy and trying to slide one buy people so they can increase their profit margins. Their behavior is despicable for the way they handled this.

The interior package is also way overpriced. Things like the interior lights (which cost $1.00) used to be included but then were made into a $1000 option. This was OBVIOUS to everyone that they were being greedy again. So they rolled it into another incredibly overpriced option. Everyone smart that values their money probably isn't selecting this. Their profit margin is probably 99.9% on this so they can afford to drop it by $1000 and perhaps entice a few people to select it. They'll still get 98% profit on it since it's still a stupid cheapy option that's a completely waste of money. I wouldn't pay $200 for it let alone $3600.

The executive seats also don't fold down at all so you lose a massive amount of cargo space. Executive seats should be a price reduction, not increase. Again, I think it's Tesla getting greedy.

 

[purplewalt]

The executive seats also don't fold down at all so you lose a massive amount of cargo space. Executive seats should be a price reduction, not increase. Again, I think it's Tesla getting greedy.

I think I might offer another point of view on the Executive rear seats:

I do understand why TM is now offering the Executive Rear Seats as an Option: primarily the Far East Marketplace, and maybe Limo drivers in various upscale markets around the world.
In certain cultures, it is a status symbol to have a chauffeur, and to be driven around.
The new Executive rear seat Option caters to and addresses that niche in the market.

It could be there is a desire to bring the Model S up to full Boardroom status and compete head-to-head with other top of the line autos.

I seriously doubt people who might consider ordering competitive models with premium rear seating are concerned about any loss of cargo space.
Besides the rear trunk area, there is always the frunk. :wink:

 

[Danal]

IMO They chopped out 3 out of 5 seats so the price should have been reduced by 60%. This is just an example of Tesla getting greedy and trying to slide one buy people so they can increase their profit margins. Their behavior is despicable for the way they handled this.

The Next Gen option is composed of upgrading "Textile" rear seats to "Premium Leather" rear seats + two Next Gen seats in front. Subtracting the leather upgrade, that makes the fronts $1000 each. Can you link to the site where you can get an upgraded seat, installed, for $1000?

For people who ordered Next Gen when it was front/back, they called each of us and offered a choice...

Can you point out the despicable part again?




I do agree that Tesla Motors has VERY high margins on lots of things. I can point to many of the options that I think are seriously overpriced, that I chose to order anyway. The Model S is a unique vehicle, and it is up to each of us to decide if the whole thing, and any given option, is what we want, or not. But are the Next Gen seats out of line? Actually, I think they are one of the better value/dollar options offered by Tesla.

YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary)

 

[wayner]

I do understand why TM is now offering the Executive Rear Seats as an Option: primarily the Far East Marketplace, and maybe Limo drivers in various upscale markets around the world.
In certain cultures, it is a status symbol to have a chauffeur, and to be driven around.
The new Executive rear seat Option caters to and addresses that niche in the market.

I heard a story that Ford was trying to cut costs so that they could offer a car that cost $20k in the US for $15k in India. So one of the things they eliminated for cost savings was power windows in the rear. They later found out that even buyers of $15k cars in India will have drivers so they cut the wrong power windows.

They should also be putting a big screen in the back for chauffeur driven models. In that use case the dude in the back should have the web browser and media controls, not the driver.

 

[ecarfan]

[*]Interior package has been reduced from $4600 to $3600 - nice but why?

Perhaps because the Yacht Flooring is now standard.