08-20-2013, 12:07 PM
I had to check the date on these posts because I feel like some of you are using old information to make your arguments. The Model S is already changing the road map for luxury car sales and is a huge game changer. I live in a rich area of the country and I'm already seeing them all over the place on my commute. Just saw one yesterday in fact. They have a showroom in our fancy mall on Long Island.
For one thing, how much infrastructure do you really need for a car who's base option range is 232 miles? The old concept of battery charging no longer applies. The argument is no longer charging time, but distance traveled on a single charge. Most people will commute an entire week before they have to recharge their car.
And how many rich people live in apartments? Most in NYC, DC and LA, and rich people get what rich people want in their buildings, so charging stations will be a selling point for developers.
Also, don't ignore the fact that they are changing the way cars will be sold and skipping the middle man car dealer, which of course is scaring the crap out of the car sales lobby which is fighting tooth and nail to get Tesla to stop. But the profit margin for each sale is bigger, which may allow them to lower the sticker price.
It was also just announced to be the safest car on the market (having no front engine will do that). And got the highest rating ever in Consumer Reports, which a lot of people take very seriously. Even the old, crotchety car critics are being converted.
When they get their base luxury model out there they will be competing with the hugely lucrative base luxury models: BMW 328i, Audi A4, Mercedes C300, Volvo S60, Lexus IS 250, Acura TL. These cars simply won't be able to compete with Tesla, and the luxury market is primed for a change of scenery as Audi has reached it's saturation point and people want a new "It" car. Those cars will seem like dinosaurs compared to what Tesla will have to offer at the same price point. We hope anyway, heh.
I think the electric revolution will happen a lot quicker than you think, at least in the luxury market.
For one thing, how much infrastructure do you really need for a car who's base option range is 232 miles? The old concept of battery charging no longer applies. The argument is no longer charging time, but distance traveled on a single charge. Most people will commute an entire week before they have to recharge their car.
And how many rich people live in apartments? Most in NYC, DC and LA, and rich people get what rich people want in their buildings, so charging stations will be a selling point for developers.
Also, don't ignore the fact that they are changing the way cars will be sold and skipping the middle man car dealer, which of course is scaring the crap out of the car sales lobby which is fighting tooth and nail to get Tesla to stop. But the profit margin for each sale is bigger, which may allow them to lower the sticker price.
It was also just announced to be the safest car on the market (having no front engine will do that). And got the highest rating ever in Consumer Reports, which a lot of people take very seriously. Even the old, crotchety car critics are being converted.
When they get their base luxury model out there they will be competing with the hugely lucrative base luxury models: BMW 328i, Audi A4, Mercedes C300, Volvo S60, Lexus IS 250, Acura TL. These cars simply won't be able to compete with Tesla, and the luxury market is primed for a change of scenery as Audi has reached it's saturation point and people want a new "It" car. Those cars will seem like dinosaurs compared to what Tesla will have to offer at the same price point. We hope anyway, heh.
I think the electric revolution will happen a lot quicker than you think, at least in the luxury market.