shrspeedblade
Rideshare Monkey
They want to submit a Model 3 AWD Performance Model next year so it will be like Usain Bolt racing the cast of The Biggest Loser on their first day! 
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igotzzoom
Active Member
I wouldn't be overly concerned. Motor Trend's was the original "Car of the Year" award. There have been dozens of copycats in the years since. NACOTY is mostly a bunch of freelancers and newspaper reviewers with a high opinion of themselves, but nobody else cares much about them otherwise. The winners of the award will use it in advertising and marketing, but outside of the echo chamber of automotive "journalists" it has little relevance/importance.
AMPd
Well-Known Member
I love Elon but that was a bad analogy, if I own a burger joint and there's an hour and a half wait for burgers, hell yeah I want more people to order, a burger that's ordered and paid for (in this case partially paid for) is better than hoping someone will come back later and order one.
Elon says he doesn't want people to order a model 3 because of the wait, well it's better they order now and spread the word rather than purchase an ice and lock themselves into it for the next however many years.
What is the upside for Tesla--its not like they need to drive demand? If they win, great, but a longer waiting list is of not of value and if they lose, it creates free marketing for their detractors. They are better off picking one or two awards that they care about (like perhaps Motor Trend) and submitting the car when they are ready.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
You are presuming the person who orders now stays in line. Some might, but others would get frustrated, cancel their reservations and become troll-bait for the anti-Tesla corps.
Moreover, is a person who reserves now and then cancels due to a long wait as likely to eventually buy a Tesla as a person who is motivated in the future to reserve when the wait is shorter ? This all sounds like an exercise in managing expectations and a long wait is not the way to play the game once the enthusiast crowd is taken care of.
I think the main question is what "Tesla withdrew the Silicon Valley-made electric vehicle" means.
If Tesla entered the Model 3 in the competition and got selected as a semifinalist, but then withdrew from competition, that's not a good sign.
If the NACTOY people chose the Model 3 as a semifinalist on their own, and Tesla declined an invitation to participate, that doesn't mean much of anything.
Krugerrand
Meow
heysteveh
Member
Of course more sales are always desirable. But if there's an hour and a half wait then you're going to start losing customers. At that point, your better off focusing your energy on how to improve your capacity for producing burgers first before you try to attract more customers. Once Tesla gets their production rolling to where they can handle more customers, then they will focus on marketing to attract more. The stellar Customer service that Tesla is aiming for is not compatible with a one-year plus wait to configure a car.
brucet999
Active Member
I would guess that they are still working out bugs in the assembly line and would rather not submit a car until fit and finish are up to snuff.
AMPd
Well-Known Member
So you're saying it's best to not attract sales for the fact that some people will cancel
If that were the case then why did tesla themselves start taking reservations so early? The wait for the car was longer back when they first started taking reservations than it is now.
Yeah I'm sure if someone liked the car enough to put down a grand, would come back when the wait is shorter. But what if you get someone who doesn't cancel?
Again you're basically saying it's best to not get new reservations until the backlog is cleared.
If you think that's better than getting more reservations and more people spreading the word of tesla then so be it.
T34ME
Active Member
My guess is that Tesla does not want its unfinished, still beta Model 3 to face judgment by those who will hold it up to the same standards as other vehicles. That's why Tesla is only delivering to Tesla employees right now, to keep any problems under the radar. I'm sure there are quite a few.
I think Amped hit the nail squarely on the head. And BTW: last years winner was the Bolt. Not Civic and Golf as stated above - that was 2 and 3 years ago.
I'm not a Tesla detractor, 41k miles of experience with my 3.5 year old MS and I'm thrilled with the many things it does well. But it's not perfect and, unlike some folks here, I'm not adverse to recognizing it's weaknesses.
I'm just deeply concerned the rushed, and maybe incomplete, development of M3 could end up causing catastrophic consequences for Tesla.
I'm not a Tesla detractor, 41k miles of experience with my 3.5 year old MS and I'm thrilled with the many things it does well. But it's not perfect and, unlike some folks here, I'm not adverse to recognizing it's weaknesses.
I'm just deeply concerned the rushed, and maybe incomplete, development of M3 could end up causing catastrophic consequences for Tesla.
ModelNforNerd
Active Member
The "event" is the marketplace. They're the heavy favorites. Sort of how NFL teams don't play their starters in the 4th preseason game. No need to. The games start counting next month when the cars start going out to non-employee customers.
When they started taking reservations the expectation was for about 10% of the number they actually received. They probably assumed that they would get a smaller number of reservations that were less likely to be cancelled. As opposed to what they really got.
Or they're afraid of reviewers getting their hands on a car (with no NDA protections) that's not quite finished, and eventually losing out on the award because of those issues. Imagine the PR/stock price hit if the Model 3 lost the NACOTY award to a gasser. An award the often-compared Bolt won by spanking the field just a year earlier.
What do you mean NOT finished? It's in production. It's finished.
My guess is they likely want to wait for when they actually start marketing, which will likely be late 2018/ early 2019 when they've completed a good bit of the Model 3 preorders and the federal rebate is entirely gone.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
I had never heard of this "award" before this thread. Now that I have I can say I could not care less about it.
