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This article (like many) misses why people buy Teslas. Teslas are amazing cars that just happen to be electric - not the other way around. The large car compa

This article (like many) misses why people buy Teslas. Teslas are amazing cars that just happen to be electric - not the other way around. The large car companies think that "electric" is enough to sell a car, whereas Tesla knows they need luxury options, autopilot & the supercharger network. I've got a Model 3 reservation myself and wouldn't even think of switching to the Bolt. I want a nice car, not just an electric one, and Tesla's got that in spades.

untog 10y ago
I don't doubt you're correct in summarising why many current Tesla owners buy Tesla cars. But if they want to be hugely, mass market successful they need to expand their client base beyond customers who "need" luxury options in a car. It's Tesla that would need to match GM's market proposition, not vice versa. > I want a nice car, not just an electric one, and Tesla's got that in spades. And I suspect many Bolt owners want an economical car, not a luxury one, and the Bolt's got that in spades.
- RKoutnik 10y ago
  > And I suspect many Bolt owners want an economical car, not a luxury one, and the Bolt's got that in spades. See my other reply in this subthread - Bolt/Model 3 will be equivalent in terms of price, so I don't see how the Bolt is more "economical".
  - untog 10y ago
    Certainly possible, but the Model 3 isn't available yet and (according to link in the article) is predicted by some to not be available until 2018. So it's difficult to compare the buying choices for customers when one car can be bought and the other cannot.
  - tclAmockingbird 10y ago
    The federal tax rebate is likely to phase out over the course of the Model 3 introduction: it isn't a given that the effective pricing will be be similar. It's also premature to compare pricing without the Model 3 specifications.
  - cmrdporcupine 10y ago
    I can buy a Bolt nowish. The Model 3 is still vaporware.
  - mikestew 10y ago
    Bolt/Model 3 will be equivalent in terms of price It's an old, yellowed page out of the Microsoft book: "what we have in the pipeline is better than what you can buy today!" We know nothing of the as-yet-unshipped Model 3. Let's hold off on those side-by-side comparisons. Because if you want to compare, we should weight the "can buy today" column quite heavily.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- true_religion 10y ago
  Tesla has a lamentable number of luxury options. It has even fewer than Porsche has in its 911, and that is a car known more for its speed and handling than anything. People looking for luxury would be better suited buying Mercedes, or BMW for that same price range. Tesla is a luxury car, but not of the 'lovely interior' type. It's more like Porsche---luxury in terms of an extreme in high technology related to driving.
dirkg 10y ago
> I want a nice car Translation: I can afford a luxury car, Tesla is one of the nicer luxury cars and happens to be electric.
- RKoutnik 10y ago
  The Model 3 starts at $35k, the Bolt at $37.5k. If you're in the market for the Bolt post-Model 3 launch, then there's not much difference in price - why not go for the classier car?
  - sidlls 10y ago
    You're conflating price exclusivity with classiness.
  - burger_moon 10y ago
    Well dealer distribution is one point. You don't have to go far to find mechanics that can service your Chevy. If you live outside a major city it's a pia to get your tesla serviced. Additionally Chevy allows people to buy parts for their cars and you can service it yourself or at an independent shop.
    - nickpeterson 10y ago
      Be careful though, the dealership might be able to order and sell it, but if they don't sell many in your area, I can guarantee they won't be good at fixing issues.
    - gozur88 10y ago
      I have to believe when there are millions of Teslas on the road you'll be able to find Tesla mechanics locally. The danger is the Model 3 flops and you're forever stuck going to the closest Tesla service station.
      - Spooky23 10y ago
        Doubt it. You can only get a service manual if you live in a right to repair state.
BenoitEssiambre 10y ago
I think Tesla's underappreciated marketing technique is the fact that they make buyers feel like they are not just buying a car but they are part of an historically unprecedented epic effort to use bleeding edge tech to save humanity from global warming, dirty fossil fuels and even from being stuck on earth. It's not clear to me if the humanity saving efforts are 100% genuine on Musk's part or if part of them are intentionally conceived as marketing but it works either way.
- dsfyu404ed 10y ago
  So what you're saying is that they're buying a Prius with marketing?
  - rangibaby 10y ago
    and sex! The Prius' problem has always been that it looks like the healthy low-fat gluten-free quinoa kale almond milk salad of cars. The best word I can come up with describe Toyota's car designs is "inoffensive". They aren't necessarily bad, and they are easy to drive and comfortable to ride in, but they are mainly generic and forgettable. Being mass market cars like they are I guess that is kind of the point.
    - mathw 10y ago
      Well also don't forget that a Prius still burns fossil fuels to run. The Teslas aren't just shinier versions of hybrids.
      - MagnumOpus 10y ago
        There's been a plug-in version of it since 2012. Sure it has only 25 miles range on batteries, but that's enough for most people's commute, and they won't have to get out the slide rule when they visit grandma over the weekend. (Also, 99% of electric cars also mostly burn fossil fuels - the exception being the ones deployed in Iceland, Norway and France, where fossil fuels are being phased out.)
    - 10y ago
zippergz 10y ago
If you don't care about the electric drive, there are MUCH nicer cars available at the same price as a Tesla. It doesn't even compare. This is why I don't have a Tesla. I could afford one, but I have spent a lot of time in them, and they do not feel like a car in the price range that they are. The interior is fine, but not premium. The touch screen makes it feel like you're driving a computer, not a vehicle (not in a good way). The styling is obviously entirely subjective, but I think that most cars in the Model S's price range look nicer, and the Model X is downright ugly. While it may sound like I'm anti-Tesla, I'm really not. I'm glad they're pushing this market forward, and I have many friends who have one and are very happy with it. I'm just saying that I don't buy the argument that it's a great car for the price if you ignore the fact that they "happen to be electric."
- brandmeyer 10y ago
  And yet, in the full-size luxury (US) car market the Tesla Model S is dominating. http://gas2.org/2016/02/15/tesla-model-s-outsells-mercedes-bmw-audi-and-porsche-in-us/ http://gas2.org/2016/02/15/tesla-model-s-outsells-mercedes-b...
  - jgalt212 10y ago
    is this fake news?
    - sergers 10y ago
      In comparison to specific lines/cars that are at similar price/market it's true. Model s is outselling BMW 7 series sedans and Model s is outselling mercedes S-class sedans. It's definately not a blanket statement, the volumes of mentioned lines are low
      - jgalt212 10y ago
        It's very targeted and therefore specious comparison. Merc and BWM have like 20 different models, Tesla has 2.
- 10y ago
Spooky23 10y ago
Tesla has to do that because their product line isn't very diversified. GM has the benefit of selling everything from heavy trucks to tiny cars. Tesla has to invest lots of capital in chargers and a direct sales model. Personally, I think the ROI on any car is crap, and I don't buy fancy vehicles. The Bolt makes a lot more sense to me.
SideburnsOfDoom 10y ago
> This article (like many) misses why people buy Teslas. Does it? TFA talks about Tesla quite a bit, e.g. > It's unlikely the Bolt will crush Tesla’s nascent Model 3. It has made essentially the anti-Tesla, a vehicle long on utility and short on sexy. What the Bolt will do is lure thousands of buyers who would otherwise buy a conventional car
mywittyname 10y ago
> I've got a Model 3 reservation myself and wouldn't even think of switching to the Bolt. I want a nice car, What makes the Model 3 "nice" in a way that the Bolt isn't? The Model 3 is just cashing in on the fact that it's cool to drive a Telsa. If the same exact car came from Toyota, then the response would be exactly as it is for the Bolt: "eh, it's not a Telsa." And probably mention of how awful the interior looks.
- namlem 10y ago
  Toyota doesn't have a supercharger network or autopilot. The Model 3 is a pretty nice looking car, at least on the exterior. The interior leaves some things to be desired, but the extra features offered by Tesla seal the deal. The one thing that bothers me about Tesla is how much control they have over your car that you bought.

untog 10y ago

I don't doubt you're correct in summarising why many current Tesla owners buy Tesla cars. But if they want to be hugely, mass market successful they need to expand their client base beyond customers who "need" luxury options in a car. It's Tesla that would need to match GM's market proposition, not vice versa. > I want a nice car, not just an electric one, and Tesla's got that in spades. And I suspect many Bolt owners want an economical car, not a luxury one, and the Bolt's got that in spades.

RKoutnik 10y ago
> And I suspect many Bolt owners want an economical car, not a luxury one, and the Bolt's got that in spades. See my other reply in this subthread - Bolt/Model 3 will be equivalent in terms of price, so I don't see how the Bolt is more "economical".
- untog 10y ago
  Certainly possible, but the Model 3 isn't available yet and (according to link in the article) is predicted by some to not be available until 2018. So it's difficult to compare the buying choices for customers when one car can be bought and the other cannot.
- tclAmockingbird 10y ago
  The federal tax rebate is likely to phase out over the course of the Model 3 introduction: it isn't a given that the effective pricing will be be similar. It's also premature to compare pricing without the Model 3 specifications.
- cmrdporcupine 10y ago
  I can buy a Bolt nowish. The Model 3 is still vaporware.
- mikestew 10y ago
  Bolt/Model 3 will be equivalent in terms of price It's an old, yellowed page out of the Microsoft book: "what we have in the pipeline is better than what you can buy today!" We know nothing of the as-yet-unshipped Model 3. Let's hold off on those side-by-side comparisons. Because if you want to compare, we should weight the "can buy today" column quite heavily.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
true_religion 10y ago
Tesla has a lamentable number of luxury options. It has even fewer than Porsche has in its 911, and that is a car known more for its speed and handling than anything. People looking for luxury would be better suited buying Mercedes, or BMW for that same price range. Tesla is a luxury car, but not of the 'lovely interior' type. It's more like Porsche---luxury in terms of an extreme in high technology related to driving.

dirkg 10y ago

> I want a nice car Translation: I can afford a luxury car, Tesla is one of the nicer luxury cars and happens to be electric.

RKoutnik 10y ago
The Model 3 starts at $35k, the Bolt at $37.5k. If you're in the market for the Bolt post-Model 3 launch, then there's not much difference in price - why not go for the classier car?
- sidlls 10y ago
  You're conflating price exclusivity with classiness.
- burger_moon 10y ago
  Well dealer distribution is one point. You don't have to go far to find mechanics that can service your Chevy. If you live outside a major city it's a pia to get your tesla serviced. Additionally Chevy allows people to buy parts for their cars and you can service it yourself or at an independent shop.
  - nickpeterson 10y ago
    Be careful though, the dealership might be able to order and sell it, but if they don't sell many in your area, I can guarantee they won't be good at fixing issues.
  - gozur88 10y ago
    I have to believe when there are millions of Teslas on the road you'll be able to find Tesla mechanics locally. The danger is the Model 3 flops and you're forever stuck going to the closest Tesla service station.
    - Spooky23 10y ago
      Doubt it. You can only get a service manual if you live in a right to repair state.

BenoitEssiambre 10y ago

I think Tesla's underappreciated marketing technique is the fact that they make buyers feel like they are not just buying a car but they are part of an historically unprecedented epic effort to use bleeding edge tech to save humanity from global warming, dirty fossil fuels and even from being stuck on earth. It's not clear to me if the humanity saving efforts are 100% genuine on Musk's part or if part of them are intentionally conceived as marketing but it works either way.

dsfyu404ed 10y ago
So what you're saying is that they're buying a Prius with marketing?
- rangibaby 10y ago
  and sex! The Prius' problem has always been that it looks like the healthy low-fat gluten-free quinoa kale almond milk salad of cars. The best word I can come up with describe Toyota's car designs is "inoffensive". They aren't necessarily bad, and they are easy to drive and comfortable to ride in, but they are mainly generic and forgettable. Being mass market cars like they are I guess that is kind of the point.
  - mathw 10y ago
    Well also don't forget that a Prius still burns fossil fuels to run. The Teslas aren't just shinier versions of hybrids.
    - MagnumOpus 10y ago
      There's been a plug-in version of it since 2012. Sure it has only 25 miles range on batteries, but that's enough for most people's commute, and they won't have to get out the slide rule when they visit grandma over the weekend. (Also, 99% of electric cars also mostly burn fossil fuels - the exception being the ones deployed in Iceland, Norway and France, where fossil fuels are being phased out.)
  - 10y ago

zippergz 10y ago

If you don't care about the electric drive, there are MUCH nicer cars available at the same price as a Tesla. It doesn't even compare. This is why I don't have a Tesla. I could afford one, but I have spent a lot of time in them, and they do not feel like a car in the price range that they are. The interior is fine, but not premium. The touch screen makes it feel like you're driving a computer, not a vehicle (not in a good way). The styling is obviously entirely subjective, but I think that most cars in the Model S's price range look nicer, and the Model X is downright ugly. While it may sound like I'm anti-Tesla, I'm really not. I'm glad they're pushing this market forward, and I have many friends who have one and are very happy with it. I'm just saying that I don't buy the argument that it's a great car for the price if you ignore the fact that they "happen to be electric."

brandmeyer 10y ago
And yet, in the full-size luxury (US) car market the Tesla Model S is dominating. http://gas2.org/2016/02/15/tesla-model-s-outsells-mercedes-bmw-audi-and-porsche-in-us/ http://gas2.org/2016/02/15/tesla-model-s-outsells-mercedes-b...
- jgalt212 10y ago
  is this fake news?
  - sergers 10y ago
    In comparison to specific lines/cars that are at similar price/market it's true. Model s is outselling BMW 7 series sedans and Model s is outselling mercedes S-class sedans. It's definately not a blanket statement, the volumes of mentioned lines are low
    - jgalt212 10y ago
      It's very targeted and therefore specious comparison. Merc and BWM have like 20 different models, Tesla has 2.
10y ago

Spooky23 10y ago

Tesla has to do that because their product line isn't very diversified. GM has the benefit of selling everything from heavy trucks to tiny cars. Tesla has to invest lots of capital in chargers and a direct sales model. Personally, I think the ROI on any car is crap, and I don't buy fancy vehicles. The Bolt makes a lot more sense to me.

SideburnsOfDoom 10y ago

> This article (like many) misses why people buy Teslas. Does it? TFA talks about Tesla quite a bit, e.g. > It's unlikely the Bolt will crush Tesla’s nascent Model 3. It has made essentially the anti-Tesla, a vehicle long on utility and short on sexy. What the Bolt will do is lure thousands of buyers who would otherwise buy a conventional car

mywittyname 10y ago

> I've got a Model 3 reservation myself and wouldn't even think of switching to the Bolt. I want a nice car, What makes the Model 3 "nice" in a way that the Bolt isn't? The Model 3 is just cashing in on the fact that it's cool to drive a Telsa. If the same exact car came from Toyota, then the response would be exactly as it is for the Bolt: "eh, it's not a Telsa." And probably mention of how awful the interior looks.

namlem 10y ago
Toyota doesn't have a supercharger network or autopilot. The Model 3 is a pretty nice looking car, at least on the exterior. The interior leaves some things to be desired, but the extra features offered by Tesla seal the deal. The one thing that bothers me about Tesla is how much control they have over your car that you bought.