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> At this point Tesla is barely a blip on the radar in comparison considering volume They're far more than a blip. They are easily outselling their Japanese an
by maratd 10y ago
> At this point Tesla is barely a blip on the radar in comparison considering volume
They're far more than a blip. They are easily outselling their Japanese and German competition in their segment. Luxury cars.
> Daimler took it seriously enough to invest in Tesla, and to use Tesla as a supplier in their own B-class EV sold in the US.
They did. However, they still do not have an EV sedan or SUV in the market.
> The BMW i series feature some pretty innovative thinking with respect to construction, materials, and design.
It does. However, they still do not have an EV sedan or SUV in the market.
> The payoff is that the BMW i3 is the most efficient EPA-certified vehicle, more efficient than any of Tesla's models
Because it's tiny. It's like a clown car.
The simple fact is that the Germans know if they put out an EV sedan or SUV, they will cannibalize their own market share and their investments in combustion engine manufacturing, which are massive, will be lost. They are trying to slowly transition to EV. Tesla is using that to their advantage and eroding their market share.
https://cleantechnica.com/files/2016/01/US-luxury-car-sales-2015.png https://cleantechnica.com/files/2016/01/US-luxury-car-sales-...
That was last year. This year is going to be worse for them.
- ceterum_censeo 10y agoThat sales comparison you're using is based on the assumption that the Model S competes with large luxury cars, and it ignores the overlap between similar models (e.g., S-class and CLS). On features and price however, the Model S more closely competes with midsize luxury cars. I think the Model S is unique and looking at either large or midsize comparibles alone isn't informative, but I think it's closer to midsize than large. The i3 is efficient not because it is tiny, but because it is light weight. Weight reduction is hard and it is a lesson Tesla has yet to learn. > The simple fact is that the Germans know if they put out an EV sedan or SUV, they will cannibalize their own market share and their investments in combustion engine manufacturing, which are massive, will be lost. They haven't put out an EV sedan or SUV yet because the market isn't profitable yet. The trend for engines has long been towards becoming a commodity sourced from elsewhere and tuned in-house or a scalable design, i.e., except for models where the engine is a selling point you're not investing your money in engines. As to cannibalizing their own sales, I don't understand your point.
- pvaldes 10y agoStrong weight reduction and safety are very hard together. You can have either one or the other, rarely both.
- arethuza 10y ago"It's like a clown car." Out of interest, are you the in the US? As I don't think the i3 is that small in the context of car sizes in other markets. NB I also think it looks rather cute - but I've vowed never to buy another BMW.
- odabaxok 10y agoI agree with you, that is not a tiny clown car. For the first time seeing it on photos I thought the same, but when you put it next to other cars, it looks surprisingly big (however, I have never tried it if its interior is also so roomy as it looks like): i3 vs BMW 1 coupe: http://insideevs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/i3-active-e.jpg http://insideevs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/i3-active-e.... i3 vs Mercedes B class: http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/03/BMW-i3-vs-Mercedes-B-Class-Electric-Drive_0008.jpg http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/201... i3 vs Chevy Volt: http://insideevs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_20140817_150632271_HDR.jpg http://insideevs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_20140817... i3 vs Tesla Model S: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-po2qhio3MHg/U-PtBsekEMI/AAAAAAAAFxA/Zs2WpMmGzUE/s1600/teslai3ca.jpg http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-po2qhio3MHg/U-PtBsekEMI/AAAAAAAAFx...
- Tepix 10y agoI tried the i3. It has nice acceleration. Inside it's about the same size as a BMW 3 series. It is very ugly, however. The mix of materials used... yuck!
- martin_bech 10y agoIts smaller than a 3 series, it only seats 4, and the trunk is smaller.