I think they are stressing it more with the Model X though because the demographic they are targeting.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Speculation re: next major Model S upgrade announcement
- Thread starter finallybuying
- Start date
I think they are stressing it more with the Model X though because the demographic they are targeting.
One word: China.
No one cared about Exec rear seats in the US, but it sells well in China. China likes larger back seat areas for passengers as most of the well off in China have drivers. Lastly, as we all know, China has TERRIBLE air quality. That whole part of the presentation involving the super air filter was aimed at China, specifically the rich in large cities.
Tesla really wants to sell in China, it's (well, it was) a growing market. There are a lot of features that go into the X that have China in mind.
I'm just not seeing it.
Jump to Elon at the 15 minute mark here:
Tesla Model S first customer delivery - live event - YouTube
His first comments on the S are:
1. breaking the illusion, electric car best car, etc.
2. best car in any dimension: performance, safety, handling, ...
Again, the concentration on Safety isn't new to X. It was front and center at Revealing Model S Beta and it was the second listed in "best car in any dimension" when Elon presented the car to the first recipients. He then followed it with more discussions about NHTSA. I've never heard any other car company immediately talking about NHTSA when announcing or delivering a car.
It does look like maybe the Founder's Xs have stereo cameras with a plate over the left hand one. Has that been seen on any Ss yet?
Stereoscopic cameras on the front? - Page 2
Stereoscopic cameras on the front? - Page 2
roblab
Active Member
My new Model S 90D has more sensors on the mirror, just like in the picture, AND a black painted area on the window to the passenger side of the mirror, about 50% bigger than the mirror base. I have opted for Pilot Assist, and assume that one of the windows on the mirror base are for the upcoming Assist software. And there's no plate that I can see. It's a clear open triangle of glass.
But it ain't just on Model X.
Soolim
Member
I think roblab had a sig without AP before this. So the 90D would have the triangular camera and the circular whatever that is. The black area to the right should be for EZpass mounting, since the rest of the windshield blocks transmission.
ddimit
Member
Soolim
Member
Thanks, I think I got it now, the website car has two triangles (cameras) and the middle circular is the rain sensor. The car shown during the event has only one triangle (i.e. one camera) and a rain sensor. So the Founder's car can be retrofitted later with 2 front cameras. Maybe the Sig MX will get it first?
If Tesla just include camera in the side mirrors for 360 view, that would be awesome.:wink:
One thing that I find pretty interesting: each time I view this thread, there are at least 3 people (sometimes more) viewing it logged in only as "guest". My guess is that there is a fair bit of interest in this topic.
"finallybuying", I completely agree with you. I am one of those guests, and I've been snooping around here for quite some time!
My main concern, being a total gearhead, is not knowing ANYTHING about what Tesla plans to do (as "ArtInCt" mentioned, Tesla makes changes/updates completely unannounced).
I find Tesla's secrecy to be mystifying....
Finally making the jump to electric, I've been leasing BMW's for at least the last 15 years. The greatest aspect of the automotive industry, for a diehard like myself, is knowing what changes lie ahead, when it comes to things like new tech, new engines, facelifts, upcoming trim changes, options, platform modifications, etc., etc.
I've purposely prolonged my past purchases in anticipation of these changes...that unfortunately is not an option with Tesla.
The most disconcerting aspect of all of this, again for me at least, is I'm about to spend $90k on a vehicle that may receive major hardware or cosmetic changes 6 months from now, and I have absolutely no way of knowing, other than forum rumors, and retracted Tweets from the company's founder!!!!!
When all is said and done, the end product is not only fabulous, but now well established and worth the investment. I feel that as a consumer however, I'm (selfishly) entitled to know what changes are on the near or distant horizon.
I'll be honest in saying that if I were to be leasing another $30k Volt (which is the car that got my wife and I hooked in the first place), I wouldn't care as much, but for a $90k + investment, I'm somewhat more concerned.
I realize I'm probably in the car-obsessed minority here, but I would like my investment to remain within the current product cycle for at least 3-4 years...
My main concern, being a total gearhead, is not knowing ANYTHING about what Tesla plans to do (as "ArtInCt" mentioned, Tesla makes changes/updates completely unannounced).
I find Tesla's secrecy to be mystifying....
Finally making the jump to electric, I've been leasing BMW's for at least the last 15 years. The greatest aspect of the automotive industry, for a diehard like myself, is knowing what changes lie ahead, when it comes to things like new tech, new engines, facelifts, upcoming trim changes, options, platform modifications, etc., etc.
I've purposely prolonged my past purchases in anticipation of these changes...that unfortunately is not an option with Tesla.
The most disconcerting aspect of all of this, again for me at least, is I'm about to spend $90k on a vehicle that may receive major hardware or cosmetic changes 6 months from now, and I have absolutely no way of knowing, other than forum rumors, and retracted Tweets from the company's founder!!!!!
When all is said and done, the end product is not only fabulous, but now well established and worth the investment. I feel that as a consumer however, I'm (selfishly) entitled to know what changes are on the near or distant horizon.
I'll be honest in saying that if I were to be leasing another $30k Volt (which is the car that got my wife and I hooked in the first place), I wouldn't care as much, but for a $90k + investment, I'm somewhat more concerned.
I realize I'm probably in the car-obsessed minority here, but I would like my investment to remain within the current product cycle for at least 3-4 years...
ArtInCT
Always Learning
Raikkonen:
I read your post above and can totally understand your concerns. I too have had, and still do have them and I am just about 2 months away from ordering my first Model S.
I have been following the Tesla Motors Club forum here for almost two years, and being a serious car guy and computer technoid (now retired thank you) I could appreciate the
efforts that Tesla Motors has made in refining the Model S. Change appears to be inevitable with the S, some times in little baby steps. Never pre-announced other than the "D" (dual motor)
event but actually the "D" event was pretty much a guessing game... there was a thread here as to WHAT DID THE D MEAN?
The concept of entitlement of forward looking evolution, that you mentioned above, is probably not going to happen with Tesla or other high end car firms. (no one knows the next feature changes in the Lambo, Vette or Porsche as an example) For instance, while I was at the showroom on Tuesday of this week, both the senior Tesla Sales Manager and I found out at the very same time that the so called "regular" leather seat option was removed from the Design Studio. He had zero, none, nada, warning as to this large event. He knew that there would be some folks who were about to order than now were probably going to face a configuration and dollar issue.
On question for you... have you driven a Model S yet? If not... be VERY careful... Very. You may throw all that concern to the wind. As it were.
I read your post above and can totally understand your concerns. I too have had, and still do have them and I am just about 2 months away from ordering my first Model S.
I have been following the Tesla Motors Club forum here for almost two years, and being a serious car guy and computer technoid (now retired thank you) I could appreciate the
efforts that Tesla Motors has made in refining the Model S. Change appears to be inevitable with the S, some times in little baby steps. Never pre-announced other than the "D" (dual motor)
event but actually the "D" event was pretty much a guessing game... there was a thread here as to WHAT DID THE D MEAN?
The concept of entitlement of forward looking evolution, that you mentioned above, is probably not going to happen with Tesla or other high end car firms. (no one knows the next feature changes in the Lambo, Vette or Porsche as an example) For instance, while I was at the showroom on Tuesday of this week, both the senior Tesla Sales Manager and I found out at the very same time that the so called "regular" leather seat option was removed from the Design Studio. He had zero, none, nada, warning as to this large event. He knew that there would be some folks who were about to order than now were probably going to face a configuration and dollar issue.
On question for you... have you driven a Model S yet? If not... be VERY careful... Very. You may throw all that concern to the wind. As it were.
Based on observations by many people at the X reveal event, the X definitely has LED headlights.
It seems certain to me that in the near future the S will also get LED headlights, likely as standard but maybe as an option.
I doubt that Tesla will give any advance notice of LED headlights for the S, they will simply suddenly appear.
It's not mystifying if you think of it as buying a computer product rather than a traditional car. When improved components are ready they're incorporated into the product. If Tesla announced the roadmap you described the sales would drop to nothing waiting for it. Remember Tesla is build to order. Google "Osborne effect".
Don't think you're in the minority, there are plenty of car obsessed people here. Historically I've been more of an aircraft than a car person, but I have been obsessing about cars to some extent the last 6 months. Though I come at it from more of an engineering perspective than a performance or luxury perspective.
At this point, I think the Model S is beginning to stabilize as a product. Tesla did a lot of tweaks in the first couple of years, but now they have the Model X to tweak and the Model 3 to get out the door. The Model S may get a few minor upgrades from the Model X program, but I don't anticipate anything major. The only big change I see on the horizon will be after the Gigafactory is in production. I expect there will be an expansion in battery pack capacity within 6 months to a year after the factory opening. But the factory won't be finished until the middle of next year, so you're looking at a year or more before the next battery capacity expansion.
I've read a lot of discussions here about Tesla's tendency to upgrade without notice. Some people are very ticked off they didn't get the latest gadget, but some others have IMO a better perspective. They observe they have been able to enjoy the best car they've ever had for 2 or 3 years. They may want the dual drive or Autopilot, but they are still happy they bought when they did. If they had waited, they would have missed out on a couple of years of enjoyment.
For me, anything is going to be a massive change. I'm currently driving a 23 1/2 year old Buick I bought new in 1992. It's been a great car, but it doesn't even have a CD player. The "smart" display consists of the setting for the climate control system and the outside temperature. Cell phones were suitcase devices when the car was built. CDs existed and a CD player was an option, but they were the cutting edge in entertainment tech. Satellite radio was still in the future. So was the internet as we know it today.
I worked for Boeing at the time and my office was across the street from the Renton factory (where 737s and 757s were built). They had lots of weird electric pick ups running around the factory. They were basically a golf cart chassis with a small pick up bed on them. That was the high tech of electric vehicles then. They weren't street legal.
Even though I know Tesla will likely release a bigger battery pack for the Model S sometime around the end of 2016 or early 2017, if I had the money to buy one today, I'd do it. I might look into paying to upgrade the battery later. Otherwise, I'd be grateful for what I have: the best car ever built at the time I bought it.
I doubt that. Elon clearly believes in continuous improvement. He has said, when asked what he likes about the S, that he has a hard time answering that question because when he looks at the car all he sees are the flaws. And he is a perfectionist. So the S will continue to receive significant, unannounced changes. I do not see that slowing down. There is always room for improvement!
@ Troy. I'm more optimistic for the next battery pack. Remember that the mini-jump between 85 kWh and the 90 kWh was only because the new anode was available. But the 85 kWh battery is here since 2012, so if a new iteration will appear at the end of 2016/beginning of 2017, it will be a 5 years gap. And you have to count on that the gigafactory will allowed to produce the new 20700 cells. So I'm more for a new 100 kWh pack at spring 2017 for both Model S and Model X. Before that, maybe a 80 kWh battery pack for the low end of the Model X, at the end of 2016.
Similar threads
