This has baffled me ever since the car was announced. First they made the Roadster. That was car number 1. Then they made the Model S. That was car number 2. Then they made the Model X. That was car number 3. Now, their fourth car is being called the Model 3. What the heck is going on here? I'm pretty sure that Elon Musk can count. ???
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KidDoc
Member
He wanted it to be the model E (Model S, E, X) but Ford sued him and apparently they own the rights to Model E so he changed it to Model 3.
/shrug.
/shrug.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
The Roadster was first gen, with the battery dropped behind and under the driver seat.
The Model S & X are second gen, with the large skateboard design. Batteries are the same between the models.
The Model 3 is third gen, with presumably a smaller battery footprint to go with the smaller vehicle.
I assume that within the different lines (2nd gen vs. 3rd gen), we will continue to see more models.
The Model S & X are second gen, with the large skateboard design. Batteries are the same between the models.
The Model 3 is third gen, with presumably a smaller battery footprint to go with the smaller vehicle.
I assume that within the different lines (2nd gen vs. 3rd gen), we will continue to see more models.
Because other companies keep making rather wild claims to ruin Elon's fun.
Originally it was supposed to be the Model E, to join the S, X, and Y to help people believe EVs could be sexy. Ford claimed that this infringed on their E-series vans. You'd think Mercedes E-Class would have been a bigger issue for Ford (or for Tesla,) but somehow this argument was judged worthy.
So Tesla decided they'd call it the model 3 and use 3 parallel horizontal bars - in their font that could be pretty easily read as an E. Then Addidas stepped up and said that they've been using 3 parallel lines as a trademark for their shoes and running shorts forever, and folks are going to be confused between a Tesla EV with three parallel horizontal lines and a running shoe with three diagonal lines on it or shorts with three vertical lines on them. This argument was also judged worthy, somehow.
So now it's just the numeric 3, the best they could salvage from all the litigation.
Originally it was supposed to be the Model E, to join the S, X, and Y to help people believe EVs could be sexy. Ford claimed that this infringed on their E-series vans. You'd think Mercedes E-Class would have been a bigger issue for Ford (or for Tesla,) but somehow this argument was judged worthy.
So Tesla decided they'd call it the model 3 and use 3 parallel horizontal bars - in their font that could be pretty easily read as an E. Then Addidas stepped up and said that they've been using 3 parallel lines as a trademark for their shoes and running shorts forever, and folks are going to be confused between a Tesla EV with three parallel horizontal lines and a running shoe with three diagonal lines on it or shorts with three vertical lines on them. This argument was also judged worthy, somehow.
So now it's just the numeric 3, the best they could salvage from all the litigation.
And, then, of course, that did lead to people thinking it was the '3rd generation' and Tesla and Elon had to say 'no, it's not technically the 3rd generation', meaning it's not 'better' than the S and X. Whole lotta mess from a trademark 'infringement'. 
Maybe we should go back to calling cars after animals? What's not taken? The Tesla Penguin?
(Don't start on what's an animal or not...)
Maybe we should go back to calling cars after animals? What's not taken? The Tesla Penguin?(Don't start on what's an animal or not...)
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
While the story of Model III vs Model 3 is interesting, the differing generations have always been part of Elon's Master Plan: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me)
So, in short, the master plan is:
- Build sports car
- Use that money to build an affordable car
- Use that money to build an even more affordable car
- While doing above, also provide zero emission electric power generation options
Chopr147
Active Member
Thank God Ford "killed sex" or I would not be able to differentiate the E series work vans with the Model 3. Now i'm just confused over the model 3 and Mazda 3.
I know, we're all so stupid, we can't tell if we're deciding on a Tesla, a Ford, a Mercedes, or, oh, wait, a shoe.
Not a big Ford fan, but rewriting history is best left to those who get paid to make up stuff, like modern university professors.
The 'Model E' is a registered trademark of a 200+ miles Ford EV available early 2019 according to Ford.
Model A, Model B, Model C, Model T, Model TT, etc, are proof Ford has already established a history with the 'Model' designator.
Much like the 'Tesla' name choice, do you think it was a coincidence that 'Model' was chosen as a Tesla product name? Not a chance. The obvious move from Roadster would have been Tesla GT (grand touring) or similar, then Tesla EUV (electric utility vehicle) if the goal was simply descriptive naming. "Model" was a marketing decision to evoke a well known image of innovation and dominance of a field.
The 'Model E' is a registered trademark of a 200+ miles Ford EV available early 2019 according to Ford.
Model A, Model B, Model C, Model T, Model TT, etc, are proof Ford has already established a history with the 'Model' designator.
Much like the 'Tesla' name choice, do you think it was a coincidence that 'Model' was chosen as a Tesla product name? Not a chance. The obvious move from Roadster would have been Tesla GT (grand touring) or similar, then Tesla EUV (electric utility vehicle) if the goal was simply descriptive naming. "Model" was a marketing decision to evoke a well known image of innovation and dominance of a field.
KidDoc
Member
The Model Y is a CUV built off of the 3 platform. At one point Elon said it'll have FWDs, but I don't know if that has changed since. Supposedly they did most of the development work in parallel. Not sure when we'll get to see the car.
I have seen mention here that that tweet was deleted ('Y will have FWDs') perhaps since it won't have three rows. That's all I know on that topic, though.
Scott-P
Member
I know, we're all so stupid, we can't tell if we're deciding on a Tesla, a Ford, a Mercedes, or, oh, wait, a shoe.
They ARE all, um, forms of transportation, and so for the average person, easily confused... ;-)
But Ford filed for that 4 months *after* Tesla filed for it...
Ford Motor Company Joins Tesla in Filing For “Model E” Trademark Rights | Inside EVs
There is no editing like creative editing. Here's the scoop:
But nearly everybody in the world for the last 100+ years associates the automotive designator "Model" with Ford Motor Company automobile products. This is why Tesla Motors chose it.
Note that Tesla voluntarily abandoned their application for the Model E trademark. It was not litigated as is widely "factualized" by Elon Musk fans.
Wow. All that trademark stuff is real? Thanks everyone for the information. I still think it should have been the Model 4 or maybe the Model C (for "car"), but I can see that the S and X could be considered one "family."
Better yet would have been to name them all after big cats (if that didn't get them in trouble with Apple for it's OS X versions). Or maybe after volcanoes. The Model S could have been the Krakatoa, the 3 could have been the St. Helen, etc.
Oh, well. I won't mind a dull name if the car is as good as I expect it to be.
Better yet would have been to name them all after big cats (if that didn't get them in trouble with Apple for it's OS X versions). Or maybe after volcanoes. The Model S could have been the Krakatoa, the 3 could have been the St. Helen, etc.
Oh, well. I won't mind a dull name if the car is as good as I expect it to be.
If they didn't want the simple elegance from upscale cars they compete with (S class, E class, E-type, 7 series,) or the "Model" associations McRat is pointing out, they could have kept the development names - Whitestar is a perfectly reasonable name for the S, and the 3 was Bluestar if I remember right. I don't think I ever saw what the internal name for the X was.
They'd probably draw Babylon 5 fans, too - assuming they didn't get into trouble with the entertainment industry over Whitestar...
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