Tell me this isn't the final steering wheel

[ElectroCat]

Really like the dash, see no value in lots of lights, buttons and switches , just distraction and fluff.
Central speedo is like my Echo which I was used to by the time I left the dealers lot.

 

[Sonny Daze]

Really like the dash, see no value in lots of lights, buttons and switches , just distraction and fluff.

Right, because a giant floating video screen rising above the dash isn't distracting at all.

 

[Big-T]

As someone mentioned in one of the countless other interior threads a while back. The Model 3 is going to sell well initially DESPITE all these design choices not BECAUSE of them.

However, (here's my prediction) once you get thru all the ICE trashing EV enthusiasts and move on to the other 95% of customers in the world - if Tesla doesn't make the interior more mainstream they're going to be sitting on a lot of empty manufacturing capacity.

 

[Rockster]

I wonder what the international legality is of having no speedometer directly in your field of view

Our Mini had a centrally located speedometer.

 

[NikeWings]

I guess AP could be handled through the steering wheel rollers? That is the missing/not seen stalk. In S/X the top stalks are blinker/washer and "gear" lever. Of course they may change all that too.

Conisdering the apparent rise (in posts) of people using the AP stalk instead of the blinker, the rollers might not be a bad idea although personally I prefer it as is.

 

[JRP3]

That dash is the result of near-religious focus on a minimalist utopia.

Wrong, it's the result of laser focus on actually delivering a profitable vehicle at the promised price without bankrupting the company. This is so obvious it's not even debatable. Whatever you think Tesla should have added to the vehicle goes against that goal.

 

[Trips]

It is not the final steering wheel.
1. Tesla is hiding something big with the interior.
2. Franz's drawing has been right on so far and that had wheel with a different design.
3. Panasonic unveiled steering controls at CES this year that looks like the drawing.
4. Elon said it would be spaceship like.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Conisdering the apparent rise (in posts) of people using the AP stalk instead of the blinker, the rollers might not be a bad idea although personally I prefer it as is.

Well, perhaps next they will enable it while changing radio channels.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

It is not the final steering wheel.
1. Tesla is hiding something big with the interior.
2. Franz's drawing has been right on so far and that had wheel with a different design.
3. Panasonic unveiled steering controls at CES this year that looks like the drawing.
4. Elon said it would be spaceship like.

While I believe precedent says the interior is final, hiding a single detail still such as the final steering wheel or the like is not impossible.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

That dash is the result of near-religious focus on a minimalist utopia.

Wrong, it's the result of laser focus on actually delivering a profitable vehicle at the promised price without bankrupting the company. This is so obvious it's not even debatable. Whatever you think Tesla should have added to the vehicle goes against that goal.

Well just agree to disagree on this one, I'm sure.

Cost-cutting is an element, for sure, but IMO they went beyond that on this dashboard. None of the rest of the car, such as the center console or the back seat as far as we've seen, has been showing such minimalistic disdain for all tradition as the dashboard has.

The thing is, not all of the dash is that expensive to make. Very, very cheap cars have more complex dashboards. For me it is obvious they went for a statement with this dash, not merely cost-cutting. Same with the back window that killed the electric mass-hatchback, I am convinced it is not merely about headroom, it is also about a big, bold design decision.

Tesla loves big, bold design decisions and has a history of preferring them over functionality and practicality, IMO especially after the Model S launch (which had different principles guiding its design).

We shall see how the big bold design decision works in practical terms, of course. Maybe we won't care.

 

[Xevex]

It is not the final steering wheel.
1. Tesla is hiding something big with the interior.
2. Franz's drawing has been right on so far and that had wheel with a different design.
3. Panasonic unveiled steering controls at CES this year that looks like the drawing.
4. Elon said it would be spaceship like.

I doubt that the drawing's steering wheel design meets the requirement for mass market, especially when people have to turn the wheel more than 360 degrees to make turns.

 

[Sparky]

It is not the final steering wheel.
....4. Elon said it would be spaceship like.

Perhaps Elon was just channeling some Red Hot Chili Peppers:
"Can't Stop":
...All on a spaceship persevering
Use my hands for everything but steering

Either way, I'm fine with the minimalist thing. Still love my 4 yr old Model S sans center console. Would like to delete that from the Model 3 interior.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Do something like this in a Yaris, and well.... we know where that will go. Do it in a Tesla and you might have a different outcome. Tesla is a strange combination of both nerdy and cool. And they might have the cachet to pull this off. The millennials (as the current young, cool, fashionable generation) love their tech toys, and a Apple-esque, clean simple car with a giant iPad in the in the middle might pry open the wallets (or bank loans) at lightning speed.

Tesla being judged to a different standard is of course true. It happens on TMC as well. One of the old companies doing the exact same thing would be ridiculed, while Tesla would be applauded. I've been hanging out with the Apple communities long-enough to know this. The reality distortion field is real and Tesla has some of it.

I stand by my opinion that had BMW done this, we would be laughing at them and saying how Tesla's strong suit is making normal cars that are BEVs and not weirdmobiles.

So, yes, it is possible the Model 3 interior finds positive appeal in people who have less concept of traditional cars or disdain for the traditional. And yes, Tesla badge may help win that argument. The Model 3 interior is gunning for a big, bold design statement and some will find appeal in that.

Steve Jobs perfected the comparison shot (e.g. "ugly" PC vs. Mac) to showcase why Apple's design was better. Steve Jobs also was brilliant in hiding the reality of owning Apple products: massive amounts of adapters and stuff to work around the limitations of the overly simple products.

The Model 3 interior with all the suction-cup phone holders in front of drivers wanting to see a speedo (or just to have a place for their phones) could be reminiscent of this. And the beautiful comparison shot will hide the fact that performing many things while driving will be harder without tactile buttons or an instrument cluster screen (those who've driven Model S/X know how the instrument cluster screen and steering wheel buttons are used to work around lack of other tactile buttons and functionalities).

 

[FlatSix911]

It is not the final steering wheel.
1. Tesla is hiding something big with the interior.
2. Franz's drawing has been right on so far and that had wheel with a different design.
3. Panasonic unveiled steering controls at CES this year that looks like the drawing.
4. Elon said it would be spaceship like.

View attachment 228938
I doubt that the drawing's steering wheel design meets the requirement for mass market, especially when people have to turn the wheel more than 360 degrees to make turns.

If it is good enough for the Ferrari F1 team ...

 

[Laban]

Our Mini had a centrally located speedometer.

Toyota Prius:

 

[Jayc]

Toyota Prius:

The day they revealed Prius Gen 4, I got up 4am for the online event and they showed the car being parachuted down I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking what the heck, is that what they could after 6 years of design and development with no preview or giveaways. The interior turns out to be better than the exterior but then someone decides to fit a white porcelain loo at the console. Later the designer reveals he was inspired by lady gaga. Toyota operates in the 5th dimension these days.

 

[DrivingTheFuture]

It is not the final steering wheel.
1. Tesla is hiding something big with the interior.
2. Franz's drawing has been right on so far and that had wheel with a different design.
3. Panasonic unveiled steering controls at CES this year that looks like the drawing.
4. Elon said it would be spaceship like.

These are the exact factors that still give me doubts... And consider this - until now all model 3s that have been spotted have been heavily tinted (including the one I saw in Cincinnati) and all of a sudden these show up in broad daylight with windows down? Is Tesla trying to throw us off? Hmmm

 

[sitter_k]

As someone mentioned in one of the countless other interior threads a while back. The Model 3 is going to sell well initially DESPITE all these design choices not BECAUSE of them.

However, (here's my prediction) once you get thru all the ICE trashing EV enthusiasts and move on to the other 95% of customers in the world - if Tesla doesn't make the interior more mainstream they're going to be sitting on a lot of empty manufacturing capacity.

I don't agree with 95% but you're probably right. Why make an already controversial design more polarizing by including a characteristic synonymous with cheap, weird cost cutting cars with no driver display.

The Tesla apologists will claim thus means I want lots of confusing buttons as if there is no middle ground.

 

[Candleflame]

If it is good enough for the Ferrari F1 team ...



View attachment 228939

The Ferrari F1 team does not have to drive their F1 car through cities or into driveways. Neither do they have to perform complex street manouvers and use the car for everyday driving.

 

[FlatSix911]

The Ferrari F1 team does not have to drive their F1 car through cities or into driveways.
Neither do they have to perform complex street manouvers and use the car for everyday driving.

I think you may have missed my humor ...