When will M3 demonstrators arrive at Tesla stores?

[voip-ninja]

Anyone have any guesses on when demonstrators will arrive?

With less than 100 Tesla retail centers in North America it doesn't seem like it would cause too much production delay to get demo units into retail locations this year.

On the other hand, any delay to early adopters getting their new toy will be frowned upon by some of the Tesla Luminati.

Then, on the third alien hand, it could be argued that letting people do a test drive in late 2017 of a car that they won't be able to get until sometime in 2019 is just a kick in the junk.

 

[Haxster]

I was told by the Santana Row store (in Silicon Valley, not far from the factory) that they wouldn't have one for "a few months".

 

[kort677]

Anyone have any guesses on when demonstrators will arrive?

are the demonstrators in support of or against the model 3?

 

[TexasEV]

Tesla doesn't need to stimulate more reservations for 2019 now. It needs to keep selling the S rather than encouraging
putting off an EV purchase to 2019.

 

[JeffK]

Anyone have any guesses on when demonstrators will arrive?

Tesla doesn't need to stimulate more reservations for 2019 now. It needs to keep selling the S rather than encouraging
putting off an EV purchase to 2019.

Yet, they still do need to convert reservations to sales.

 

[cab]

I bet they manage this by offering test drives only to early reservation holders (i.e. by invite only) as opposed to opening them up to the general public. I'm not buying ANY car without a test drive. Indeed, the Motor Trend review makes me think they may have gone too firm on the suspension as an example. In the video, you see head bobs from the occupants and they actually compared it to the Alfa Romeo Giulia and even said it might be the Quadrafoglio equivalent (the latter being like a BMW M3, Audi RS4, or Mercedes AMG C class). For a car enthusiast that's one thing, but the avergae consumer might not be so excited about that day in and day out...probably worth its own thread.

 

[voip-ninja]

Yet, they still do need to convert reservations to sales.

Kind of my thought too. They can sell cars completely unproven to the harder core crowd of line holders but when they start getting to Joe & Jane 6-pack who put down a deposit but have never driven an EV they will need a test drive to close escrow.

 

[MXWing]

I bet they manage this by offering test drives only to early reservation holders (i.e. by invite only) as opposed to opening them up to the general public. I'm not buying ANY car without a test drive. Indeed, the Motor Trend review makes me think they may have gone too firm on the suspension as an example. In the video, you see head bobs from the occupants and they actually compared it to the Alfa Romeo Giulia and even said it might be the Quadrafoglio equivalent (the latter being like a BMW M3, Audi RS4, or Mercedes AMG C class). For a car enthusiast that's one thing, but the avergae consumer might not be so excited about that day in and day out...probably worth its own thread.

Two options:

1 - Buy car without test drive, get it in 2017/2018.

2 - Insist on test drive, get it in 2019

Now that would be some interesting queue movement.

 

[voip-ninja]

Well, it will be interesting to see what they do. As deliveries get into the thousands of units per month it will be harder and harder for them to push away requests for potential customers to get a test drive.

 

[JeffK]

Two options:

1 - Buy car without test drive, get it in 2017/2018.

2 - Insist on test drive, get it in 2019

Now that would be some interesting queue movement.

One car for every gallery in the US would represent less than a week's production in september.

 

[voip-ninja]

One car for every gallery in the US would represent less than a week's production in september.

Yep.. the only reason I can think of them putting it off till much later than that is that they are worried it will steal sales from the Model S.

Once the very first public deliveries happen late this summer the clamoring for people to Tesla of wanting to test drive the car they have a deposit on is going to get overwhelming.

One definite strategy would be to offer test drives only to confirmed reservation holders so they could try things out before fully committing.

 

[WARP 10]

The local showroom told me they expect one by September/October. Probably only in California, though, since that's where all of the intial production runs are going.

 

[Russell B]

Want to see a M3? Drop by a California Service Center or Fremont where they are being delivered. When the X first came out, they were lined up in Van Nuys being delivered. Have to believe that within a few weeks that will be true again.

 

[israndy]

Since they schedule test drives via the website I imagine when they do have them available it will be for every store in the state at once. I imagine they will be available for test drives before invites go out. Hopefully that news will spread quickly because I canna wait to drive one.

-Randy

 

[SageBrush]

One definite strategy would be to offer test drives only to confirmed reservation holders so they could try things out before fully committing.

Sounds reasonable, although they will have their hands full just delivering cars.

 

[Sandiegodoug]

My salesperson that we bought our x from said he will let me test drive his once he gets it, hopefully before I have to make final decision.

 

[Maaz]

Elon said before the end of the year. So I hope st least by October.