Tesla rolls out cheaper Model 3!

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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Tesla rolls out cheaper Model 3!

Post by kevm14 »

https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-r ... D02E58BE0A

But wait. The subtitle is "But it’s not the $35,000 version." lol
So far, Tesla has rolled out two versions of the Model 3: the long-range battery and the Performance version. Right now, these models begin around $55,000-$65,000, a far cry from the $35,000 starting price Tesla originally promised for its small sedan. Tesla still hasn't introduced the base Model 3, but at least now it's bringing out a mid-range battery model priced from $46,200.

This price excludes a $7,500 federal tax credit that will be available through December 31. If you believe Tesla's calculations, the mid-range model's cost works out to $34,400 once you factor in that full tax credit and gas savings over a six-year period.

The new variant offers an EPA-estimated 260 miles of range, 50 miles less than the other Model 3s currently available. Top speed is 125 mph, and Tesla says it can hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. It's not quite as zippy as the Model 3 Performance we clocked at 2.3 seconds, but it's reasonable for its price point.
I see.

FWIW, Tesla is moving some decent numbers of Model 3s. Here is a list of vehicles that have sold in fewer numbers, year to date, than the Model 3:
Kia Soul 77,888
Dodge Journey 77,233
Jeep Renegade 75,574
Kia Forte 74,888
Honda HR-V 69,979
Buick Encore 69,746
Toyota Prius Family 68,925
Chevrolet Trax 67,539
Toyota Sienna 67,373
GMC Acadia 63,494
Nissan Murano 63,225
Kia Sportage 62,272
Ford Mustang 61,619
Volkswagen Jetta 61,178
Nissan Frontier 59,574
Subaru Impreza 59,540
Dodge Charger 59,308
Nissan Versa 58,083
Dodge Challenger 52,313
Mazda 3 51,294
Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class 50,587
Nissan Pathfinder 50,152
Audi Q5 49,694
Dodge Durango 49,541
GMC Yukon 49,312
Cadillac XT5 46,984
Acura RDX 44,598
Chevrolet Express 44,420
Chevrolet Impala 43,953
Lexus NX 43,513
Volkswagen Atlas 43,002
Mercedes-Benz C-Class 42,253
BMW X3 41,825
Ford Expedition 40,521
Chevrolet Suburban 40,514
Chevrolet Camaro 39,828
Ford EcoSport 38,310
Toyota C-HR 37,930
Nissan Titan 37,839
Acura MDX 37,187
Ford E-Series 36,549
Ford Fiesta 36,518
Buick Enclave 35,228
BMW 3-Series 34,731
Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class 34,617
Chrysler 300 34,555
Volkswagen Golf Family 34,353
Lexus ES 34,344
Volkswagen Passat 33,527
Honda Fit 32,664
Mercedes-Benz E / CLS-Class 32,015
Infiniti QX60 31,795
Nissan Maxima 31,702
Ram ProMaster 31,591
Ford Taurus Family 31,591
BMW 5-Series 31,181
BMW X5 31,120
Mitsubishi Outlander 31,110
Subaru Legacy 31,080
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 29,121
Hyundai Kona 28,465
Audi Q7 27,270
Toyota Avalon 26,654
Cadillac Escalade - Family 26,460
Audi A4 26,197
Infiniti Q50 26,180
Nissan Armada 25,660
GMC Canyon 25,274
Mazda 6 24,741
Volvo XC90 23,652
Volvo XC60 23,511
BMW 4-Series 23,466
Ford Transit Connect 23,218
Toyota Yaris Family 23,066
Acura TLX 22,917
Honda Ridgeline 22,804
Buick Envision 22,619
Tesla Model S 22,600
BMW X1 22,283
Kia Niro 22,100
Subaru Impreza WRX 21,957
Hyundai Accent 21,820
Audi A5 21,244
Mazda CX-9 21,184
Mini Cooper Family 20,051
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 20,026
Lincoln MKX 19,886
Mitsubishi Mirage 19,316
Lincoln MKC 19,270
Lexus GX 19,097
Tesla Model X 18,725
Chevrolet Sonic 17,847
Porsche Macan 17,553
Lexus IS 17,393
Land Rover Range Rover Sport 17,321
Kia Rio 17,291
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class 17,235
Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class 17,148
Chevrolet Spark 16,944
GMC Savana 16,780
Subaru Ascent 16,580
Ford Flex 16,158
Infiniti QX50 15,891
Audi A3 15,579
Lincoln MKZ 14,921
Chevrolet Corvette 14,880
Kia Sedona 14,856
Audi Q3 14,630
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 14,406
Nissan NV200 14,283
Mini Countryman 14,142
Mazda CX-3 13,715
Land Rover Range Rover 13,563
Buick LaCrosse 13,409
Infiniti QX80 13,377
Honda Clarity FCV 13,314
Chevrolet Volt 13,242
Lincoln Navigator 13,085
Kia Stinger 12,999
Land Rover Range Rover Velar 12,761
Cadillac XTS 12,665
Nissan NV 12,299
Volkswagen Beetle Family 12,150
Chevrolet Bolt 11,807
Hyundai Ioniq 11,606
Buick Regal 11,007
BMW X2 10,907
Nissan Leaf 10,686
Mercedes-Benz S-Class 10,334
Nissan Kicks 10,312
Cadillac ATS 10,028
Ram ProMaster City 9,487
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 9,044
Volvo XC40 8,955
Alfa Romeo Giulia 8,933
Cadillac CTS 8,777
Jaguar F-Pace 8,333
Acura ILX 8,242
Land Rover Discovery Sport 8,116
Toyota Sequoia 8,105
Hyundai Veloster 7,936
Volvo 60-Series 7,760
Mazda MX-5 Miata 7,460
Cadillac CT6 7,270
BMW 2-Series 7,252
Porsche Cayenne 7,214
Land Rover LR4 7,153
Porsche 911 7,149
Genesis G80 6,924
Lexus LS 6,671
Infiniti QX30 6,639
Ford C-Max 6,470
Porsche Panamera 6,441
Infiniti Q60 6,344
Lincoln Continental 6,334
Honda Insight 6,305
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 6,219
BMW 7-Series 6,126
Volvo 90-Series 6,103
Audi A6 5,774
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 5,513
Mercedes-Benz Metris 5,183
Lexus GS 5,158
BMW X6 5,114
BMW i3 4,850
Jaguar E-Pace 4,314
Porsche 718 4,300
Fiat 500X 4,221
Kia Cadenza 3,951
Lexus LX 3,735
Fiat 500 3,717
Infiniti Q70 3,476
Buick Cascada 3,393
Jaguar XE 3,381
Toyota 86 / FR-S 3,210
Subaru BRZ 2,930
BMW 6-Series 2,928
Fiat 124 Spider 2,915
BMW X4 2,802
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 2,750
Nissan 370Z 2,705
Lexus RC 2,593
Mercedes-Benz G-Class 2,380
Toyota Land Cruiser 2,331
Genesis G90 1,984
Audi A7 1,904
Lincoln MKT 1,784
Jaguar XF 1,773
Volkswagen Touareg 1,771
Jaguar F-Type 1,739
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 1,569
Lexus LC 1,548
Mercedes-Benz SLC-Class 1,506
Acura RLX 1,417
Jaguar XJ 1,287
Fiat 500L 1,231
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 1,207
Audi TT 1,204
Toyota Mirai 1,144
Chrysler 200 1,000
Smart ForTwo 959
Infiniti QX70 935
Nissan Juke 715
Audi R8 682
Audi A8 656
Hyundai Azera 627
Jeep Patriot 599
BMW i8 478
Nissan GT-R 470
Volkswagen CC 409
Dodge Dart 379
Kia K900 260
Cadillac XT4 212
Alfa Romeo 4C 183
Acura NSX 122
Ford GT 102
Dodge Viper 15
Chrysler Town and Country 5
Lexus CT 4
Toyota FJ Cruiser 3
Nissan Quest 3
Genesis G70 1
From a purely economics standpoint, I think they were right to slow-roll the cheap version as obviously there is plenty of demand for the more expensive version. But that was kind of my contention from the beginning. I don't see this as a savior of performance for the car enthusiast. They have merely gone down market from the Model S and tapped into all kinds of new sales. To date the cheapest version available is like $55k, with the MSRP spanning $55k-$80k or so. Because this is a luxury-market vehicle, where sales don't necessarily equate to "good value" in the mainstream sense.

The Bolt is at 11,807, which is pretty bad.
Bob
Posts: 2440
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:36 am

Re: Tesla rolls out cheaper Model 3!

Post by Bob »

Toyota Prius Family? Reminds me of Ford F-series.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Tesla rolls out cheaper Model 3!

Post by kevm14 »

They also did that with the Golf, Taurus, Escalade, Yaris, Mini Cooper, and Beetle. Which apparently the Model 3 out-sold, YTD.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Tesla rolls out cheaper Model 3!

Post by kevm14 »

https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-q ... 3406EF8882

Rare quarterly profit shown for Q3.
Musk said 56,065 Model 3s were delivered in the quarter with a starting price of $49,000, and work continues on the promised but elusive $35,000 Model 3. Getting the more affordable model, with a smaller battery, into production will take a bit more work and time but the $35,000 version might be available in February or March, the CEO said on a call with analysts and media. "If we could do a $35,000 car today, we would do it." So far the lowest-priced option is a $46,000 version with an estimated 260-mile range. Musk says less than 20 percent of the 455,000 reservations in August 2017 have cancelled their orders despite the long waits and higher price.
So what exactly is the issue with the $35k model? Here are some thoughts:
- Vendors not lined up to support the production in those numbers
- Design of the $35k version not finalized (i.e. they are not sure exactly what a $35k version of the Model 3 even looks like, which would be insane)
- And a similar statement, but focusing on the battery, would be that a producible battery design does not exist at the target price (yet). Translated, that could mean maybe the design that meets the target price cannot be produced in the required numbers to achieve the required economy of scale, or worse, even at the volumes predicted, the battery STILL can't be produced cheap enough (while meeting range objectives).

Likely some combination of all of these.

And then there's this.
Consumer Reports today said the Model 3 is the only Tesla it feels it can recommend, based on its road tests and surveys. In terms of reliability, the Model X is the second worst vehicle in the annual survey of owners and the Model S has fallen to the point it can no longer be recommended. As a brand, Tesla ranks 27 of 29 in reliability, which has not dampened owner love of their Teslas, the magazine testers say.
Bob
Posts: 2440
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:36 am

Re: Tesla rolls out cheaper Model 3!

Post by Bob »

After a long wait, the $35k Model 3 is available to order. It only comes in black and you get manual cloth seats. Delivery says 2-4 weeks.
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