Will the disappointment even matter?

[cab]

So here in EV nerd world (I include myself in that description) folks are getting all worked up about what the Model 3 is or isn't (i.e. options too expensive, base range too low, no consol lid w/o premium package...pick your favorite). Beyond that there is the inevitable comparison to the Model S. Bolt, etc. However, I'm not sure any of that is going to matter...

15+ months ago Tesla previewed the Model 3 with enormous buzz and a boatload of reservations. In my opinion, Tesla crossed an important threshold: they went from selling "cars" to selling "cool". This is rarefied air occupied by the likes of Apple and Starbucks, etc. I remember years ago when my stepson went off to College (for an engineering degree) and I was trying to talk him into getting a Windows PC instead of a Macbook. I made all the logical arguments around price, engineering software generally being more available fro Windows vs. the Mac OS, etc. When I was done it came down to him saying "I hear all that, but...do you really want to be the only kid in class w/o a Mac"...Doh!

The average consumer out there isn't trolling car forums and nitpicking every nuance of the car. Instead, I think they will be stoked to be able to get a "Tesla" for $35K. Heck, the American way is (with all apologies to Dave Ramsey) to buy more than you can afford so if they have to stretch to $45K and 6 year notes they'll throw "sense" to the wind and do it. Car buying stopped being about "what makes sense" a LOOOOOONG time ago (it's got a HUGE emotion component now), and what we still know about the Model 3 is that it is sexy (not AS sexy as a Model S or some other cars sure, but sexier than most in this segment), and a Tesla. That alone will be enough for most buyers. Now add in the fact that EV torque is addictive and impresses almost everyone (I'm a "car guy" and I still remember my first test drive in 2013 of a P85...I was like "cr*P..this thing is fast"...even though the "numbers" weren't really that much different than my previous cars) well shoot - sexy, fast, and "it's a Tesla"....it's gonna be a winning combo regardless.

 

[powertoold]

I can see at least 10 to 15% of people canceling their pre-orders because they were expecting lower prices.

 

[cab]

I can see at least 10 to 15% of people canceling their pre-orders because they were expecting lower prices.

Actually, I expect a lot bigger number than that for any number of reasons (timing, they never had the money in the first place, need something bigger, etc.) but I also expect that as these cars get out there, new prospective buys will fill the gap. My wife drives my P85+ way more than I do...so far it's the only car we've ever owned where her friends (who know ZERO about cars) say "take a picture of me with your Tesla!". We never got that with our old M5...

 

[Stirfelt]

I read the various packages with interest just as everyone else has. I had pretty-much thought I would be interested in the base vehicle, except with longer milage. But $9,000 for the extended milage is a large 'hit.' I was hoping for something like $5k. My number does not come up for 15 months. I can live with 215 miles if they build more superchargers in the next 15 months. (I make a 425 mile trip 1/mo, but the first existing supercharger is 250 miles away).
My only disappointment is paint choices. Black is the only no-cost color?...... and in the hot desert west ..... no way would I consider black. I was guessing white (non-metallic) would also be no cost. It's not a deal breaker, but I am disappointed.

 

[boaterva]

I read the various packages with interest just as everyone else has. I had pretty-much thought I would be interested in the base vehicle, except with longer milage. But $9,000 for the extended milage is a large 'hit.' I was hoping for something like $5k. My number does not come up for 15 months. I can live with 215 miles if they build more superchargers in the next 15 months. (I make a 425 mile trip 1/mo, but the first existing supercharger is 250 miles away).
My only disappointment is paint choices. Black is the only no-cost color?...... and in the hot desert west ..... no way would I consider black. I was guessing white (non-metallic) would also be no cost. It's not a deal breaker, but I am disappointed.

The paint deal is exactly the same as for the S and the X. Plain Black is free, any other color is extra.

I know *I* did expect lower cost options... Nothing seems to have changed. The various sites that spec'd out all the options at a lower price for the 3 are now in the trash because both the S and X have no 'options'. They have only the PUP, which is $5000 (S) or $6000 (X). And EAP and FSD. (And of course paint, seats, wheels, etc., of course. But no a la carte options as they did a few months ago or when the 3 was announced.)

Then the 3 comes along with exactly the same pricing on options (PUP is $5000, EAP and FSD are same as on S and X), when all along we heard 'we won't price them the same, that was for the S and X that subsidize the rest of the operation, the 3'. WTF...

At least the battery is a cheaper upgrade... the S is $25K+ for 25kWh. (Or something like that, I can't get to anything on tesla.com right now...)

All in all, adding that much ($9K for battery, $8K for software (EAP-FSD), $5K for PUP, $5K (?) for Dual, $1K for paint) is almost doubling the car price, and that's not even looking at the P that is always insane (no pun intended).

So, where's the proportionate or otherwise decrease in option price?