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This figure makes me wonder how other car manufacturers are able to generate demand. Honda alone sells 1m+ cars per year in the US. For all the news, Tesla will

• Brakenshire 8y ago
  This is about deliveries, not demand. They still have a large backlog of orders, and they haven't even entered the European market yet.
  • 3adawi 8y ago
    is there any evidence they still have a backlog?? Seems like the only backlog left is countries they just began delivering to or haven't started deliveries there yet..no one knows how big that backlog is
    • jsight 8y ago
      No, there is no evidence of a backlog, outside of certain trims. The model 3 SR still has a backlog, by virtue of not having been made yet.
      • waitingForTesla 8y ago
        In Ontario Canada there are real wait times that are over a month for long range and AWD options for Model 3, even though the website falsely proclaims delivery within two weeks. I would define a wait time over a month (and counting) a backlog.
        • jsight 8y ago
          Thanks for that. I appreciate the additional data-point, as most of what I was seeing before was that there was pointing towards a possible inventory buildup in North America. If even the high end trims are actually in shorter supply than indicated, then maybe demand isn't so soft after all. It still leaves me with a lot of questions about Model X and S, but I think there are more reasonable theories there than a demand cliff.
    • Brakenshire 8y ago
      I’m just working from previous articles which said that a large percentage of their orders were at the lower price point, which has only opened up recently.
  • adrr 8y ago
    Model 3 isn't back ordered. When I was ordering mine last week everything showed a 2-week delivery date(mid-range, long range, performance). After ordering I picked mine up two days later. Later after reading the Tesla forums, I could have called up Tesla and got a discount on the car if they had it sitting in inventory since they are trying to move inventory.
    • Brakenshire 8y ago
      Ok, but doesn’t that just mean they’re not backlogged on the middle and high trims? They only just released the low end model, I can’t really see how those orders could have been fulfilled. Although it seems to be up for debate whether they’re able to make the low end model without a loss.
  • Xixi 8y ago
    They started delivery of the Model 3 in Europe in February. But Tesla's cars are quite a bit too bulky for many European countries, where Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe dominate sales.
    • mft_ 8y ago
      LOL... do you live in Europe? The model 3 is (to within a couple of cm) the same size and class as the Audi A4 and BMW 3-series. And I can assure you that they are very very common cars here. Likewise, the X is similar to (say) the Audi Q7, the BMW X5, and the Porsche Cayenne, and again, those are pretty common.
      • Xixi 8y ago
        The most common size in France (where I'm originally from) is the B-segment: Renault Clio, Citroën C3, etc. So 4.1~4.2 meters in length and 1.7~1.8 meters in width. Model 3 is much longer: 4.7 meter in length and quite a bit larger at 1.9~2 meter in width. Don't get me wrong, BMW 3-series or Audi A4 are not rare in France, but it's not the mass market. So I don't have the beginning of a clue as to why you are laughing. If you are French then you probably live in an affluent neighborhood. I suspect you live in a different country with different car habits.
        • paganel 8y ago
          Just wanted to confirm what you are saying, that is that the standard-ish car size in Europe is represented by the models you mentioned: the Clio, the Citroen C3, I'll add the VW Polo, Skoda Fabia or Seat Ibiza, cars like Audi A4 or BMW Series 3 are seen as large-ish.
• mrfusion 8y ago
  Lower prices? Cars geared toward the Everyman.
  • delfinom 8y ago
    This is a big part of it. Tesla marketed their new lowend "$35K" Model 3 option but even that's them covering up the real price is $45k up front. Depending on where you live, you may get $5k back in tax credits the next year and then they throw on a $5k gas savings estimate bullshit which is ridiculous. It isn't until you click the see details button in their order system that you see the true price. That's $45k somebody has to take a loan for and pay a higher monthly payment for than the supposed "$35k after savings!". The savings are complete and utter lie. After you pay interest on that $10k extra you borrowed you lose. If you buy the car outright in cash, sure, you'll see a savings. But that percentage of the population able to afford such a purchase is small and dwindling.
    • allset_ 8y ago
      > Tesla marketed their new lowend "$35K" Model 3 option but even that's them covering up the real price is $45k up front. No it's not. The Standard Range Model 3 is $35K up front and $27k with their (ridiculous) estimated savings.
    • zaroth 8y ago
      No. Please get your facts straight! The $35k Tesla is $35k before any rebates or savings are taken into account. The $35k Tesla has a price after estimated savings of $24,450 in Massachusetts. $24,450 $6,250 of that savings is in the form of a $3,750 tax credit and a $2,500 check. So even if you factor in zero fuel cost savings the purchase price after rebates is $28,750. Stunningly inexpensive for an EV. This is lower TCO than Accord or Camry.
      • dwighttk 8y ago
        what's the rest of the estimated savings?
• frontloadpro 8y ago
  Tesla's market is extremely niche. Luxury car to an uneducated car buyer. Car enthusiasts won't get a Tesla because Tesla's ARE inferior to the competition at that price point. You don't buy a Tesla because you want your car to work for 2 years without breaking, you buy a Tesla to show friends. I know luxury Ford products sold 20k/yr, and those were some seriously high end SUVs. Same price point. I cannot see how Teala is sustainable. Edit, the reliability problems aren't unique to Tesla, any new car has them. I don't understand why people straight lie about it not having reliability issues.
  • Dumblydorr 8y ago
    Teslas are superior, not inferior. It's simple physics, BEV means higher acceleration, lower center of gravity, better cabin volume, quieter, and most importantly: you don't contribute nearly as much to destroying the climate or causing asthma and emphysema in children. How do you counter these basic BEV advantages? Are you in favor of releasing emissions for thousands of years?
    • skellera 8y ago
      Obviously they were speaking in terms of luxury. No need for the loaded question.
    • _Microft 8y ago
      The quality of the interior, not the technical part, is said to be pretty low for the price class that the Model S or X are in.
    • frontloadpro 8y ago
      This is a Strawman comment, from an uneducated car buyer. There are plenty of higher quality electric vehicles. The acceleration is one tiny aspect of customer satisfaction. Tesla has worst in class interiors and reliability. Not having buttons or trays is something only Tesla can get away with. Is it better for the environment to buy a used car? Or better for the environment to buy a new car?
• Nelson69 8y ago
  I don't know what your Honda experience has been, but for a very competitive price you can buy an insanely reliable car that you will probably become bored with before you need to replace (so long as you change the oil regularly) Nobody is mentioning the tax credit either..
  • _jal 8y ago
    Meh. To me cars are an unpleasant necessity. I dislike driving, I'm constantly either bored or stressed, or both. Driving in Bay Area is even more unpleasant than less dense places. To park it, I either pay what would be rent on a studio elsewhere or drive around a half an hour a night looking for a spot at which I may come back to a busted window. So when buying a car, I look for cheap and reliable, less likely to be victimized, definitely used (why pay for a smell?), with enough space to move the crap that requires the vehicle in the first place. Point being, this is one reason those Hondas sell. I could buy a Tesla, but the idea of dumping a bunch of money on something I don't enjoy is about as attractive to me as buying a designer platinum drain snake.
• benj111 8y ago
  Honda is well known by non car/tech people. My grandparents would buy a Honda because it has a reputation that Tesla doesn't have at this point. After a few years of people seeing them around, and them appearing in reliability surveys etc, that may change. Although with their dealership/internet only sales plan up in the air at the moment, that still may not make a difference, because I still can't see my grandparents buying a car off the internet.
  • justtopost 8y ago
    Tesla is not anywhere near Honda in reliability. So no, that will not change anytime soon.
  • rchaud 8y ago
    Another major benefit of Honda and Toyota is that I can use any service shop I want. They usually always have the necessary parts, and I can shop around to get the best price. With a BMW, Audi or a pricier high-end brand, the service costs are a lot higher. With Tesla, I don't even know if you can get them serviced outside an official Tesla center. That's a no-go for me.
• adrr 8y ago
  Honda makes gas cars which can be filled up in 5 minutes from tens of thousands of gas stations across the US. It is not Tesla vs Honda it is electric vs ICE.
  • Brakenshire 8y ago
    You can’t charge a Honda at home, and that with a 200+ mile range covers the vast majority of usage. And then when you do need to drive 200+ miles in a day, which for most people is a handful of days a year, you can use chargers which add 100 miles in 10 minutes. The extent of the charging network is really the only major issue left. It depends on your use case, for an urban, suburban setting or as a second car it’s more convenient, not less.
    • justtopost 8y ago
      I can and do gas up my honda at home.
    • adrr 8y ago
      I have Tesla and use Superchargers. It’s 7.00 for 100 miles and it takes 30 minutes not 10 and they are usually full so I have to wait. We use our gas car for road trips and skiing. The supercharger wait times up to mammoth are 2+ hours.
      • Brakenshire 8y ago
        Think it’s 130 miles in 10 minutes at maximum for the long range model 3 with the v3 charger. It's a 10 minutes break every 2 hours, not an issue for most people. The big remaining issue is the availability of charging points.
    • dragontamer 8y ago
      > You can’t charge a Honda at home Honda Clarity begs to differ. > And then when you do need to drive 200+ miles in a day, which for most people is a handful of days a year, you can use chargers which add 100 miles in 10 minutes. Not as good as a "charger" (Gas Station) that adds 300 miles in 2 minutes.