I couldn't stop feeling like this page is nothing else but a promotion for "Model S" which is "superior and now" rather than the other car which is "inferior and 1 year later". Price would've been the biggest (and only) reason for "Model 3" but it's not shown on the page. Added extra details for "Model 3" is a nice trick to boost virality of the promotion aimed at its target audience -- potential Model 3 buyers. Well done, Tesla marketing. Well done.
I think this is in reaction to the confusion over Model 3 being the "next version" of the Model S. People might be holding off on buying the S because they think that the 3 is better.
When asked why he named it Model 3 in that thread, his response was: "Because I was a dumb idiot and didn't realize at the time that it would cause confusion".
This might be just about the most awkward product marketing page I've come across in my memory. I personally probably will never be able to afford a model S. So I'd essentially be their market for the 3. But looking at how they talk about it, they've pretty much unsold me on it. The worst is this paragraph:
"Model 3 is designed and built as a mass market, affordable electric vehicle. Although it will be our newest vehicle, Model 3 is not “Version 3” or the most advanced Tesla. Like Model S, it is designed to be the safest car in its class."
That's exactly what it is. They have more than enough reservations for the Model 3 at this point, and have no reason to try for more until they work through most of the backlog. For someone looking at a Tesla, they would much rather get $70,000+ from them now than $35,000+ from them in a year or two. Add to this the fact that a lot of people have apparently managed to interpret Model 3 as an upgrade to Model S and you get a page like this.
Yeah. I reserved the Model 3 a while ago, but I've been leaning more and more toward just canceling it and getting a Model S. Even though I can afford it, it's just a lot of money for someone like me who isn't really a "car person" anyway.
This is almost disgustingly obvious. There are no prices listed on the page, and as far as I can tell they are comparing a base Model 3 to the highest-spec Model S. It screams "oh yeah we've got that Model 3 thing, but you can't buy it for 14 months. look at this really cool Model S!"
I think this is a nice comparison. Obviously the S is going to be better but maybe some people are confused and see the model 3 as being the successor. This puts it into better perspective.
This page shows both the model S and the model 3 side by side:
Car length: 196.0" vs 184.4"
0-60mph Acceleration: as quick as 2.3s vs 5.6s
Range: 249-335 Miles Range (EPA) vs 215+ Miles Range
Supercharging: Free Unlimited Supercharging vs Pay Per Use Supercharging
Passengers: Seating for 5 Adults + 2 Children vs Seating for 5 Adults
Cargo: 30 cu ft Front & Rear Trunk Cargo Volume vs 14 cu ft Front & Rear Trunk Cargo Volume
Displays: Driver Display + 17" Touchscreen vs 15" Center Touchscreen
Customization: 1,500+ configurations vs <100 configurations
Delivery timing: 30 Days or less vs 1+ year
For german customers all the current gen EVs(Bolt/i3/Leaf/Ioniq) with a topspeed of 140-150km/h are to my opinion not really save to drive on the Autobahn as you don't have some speed buffer to overtake someone who's driving 120-130km/h fast enough.
If Tesla manages to give the Model 3 a top-speed of 200km/h that would be a game-changer and make it a viable car for me. The Model S is viable in that regard, just too expensive for me personally.
As many people seem to take issue with my statement that I find it less safe if I don't have the option to overtake quickly someone who is doing 120-130km/h, i'd like to describe a situation which I notice at least once a week on the Autobahn:
I'm going 130-150 in the center lane, normal traffic flow speed. Someone in front of me in the center lane goes 130, but drives rather unsafely, serves to the left and right, brakes hard, is clearly not used to driving on the autobahn or their car (usually 90s or early 2000s small hatchbacks like a Ford Fiesta) is at the limits of what it can do. I'm behind that car and deem it unsafe to drive behind someone like that for longer periods of time, so intend to overtake. If the driver in front of me goes somewhere between 130-140km/h which is usually the case as this is the topspeed ceiling for many 45PS small hatchbacks, i HAVE to drive somewhere between 150-180km/h to quickly overtake that car without sitting too long on the left lane.
The problem gets worse when the car in front has truck pulling out in front of him because the truck wants to overtake another truck, with a 10km/h difference because its uphill (a blood boiling situation for many experienced Autobahn driver).
Because the acceleration of the small hatchback is rather slow, many drivers of such cars want to conserve momentum, so they change lanes very quickly in such situations, where they suddenly are driving 120-130km/h on the left lane, where cars are shooting by at 180-220km/h which are then breaking rapidly, sometimes on the level of emergency breaking. EVs, having physics on their side, could have much greater acceleration, making that split second decision those drivers take favor the safer option in the future.
I see this too often to not care about it, and have driven one of those small hatchbacks myself when I was younger.
And well, the Autopilot is a great feature, but I'm not yet willing to bet my families life on it for longer stretches than i'm focused. Having tested it on the Autobahn, I found it hard after a while to keep the focus on the same level as I would have it driving myself.
been safely driving a van with 140km/h top-speed on the autobahn just fine for years - there might be a correlation between the maximum speed of a car and the owners inability to drive safely, but the explanation is probably more a psychological than a technical one ..
your mindset is quite common among german car makers though, maybe the reason they are unable to offer competitive answers to a technologically rather boring challenge - bringing down the price for electronic vehicles by mass production
If you're one of the people who put down the $1K refundable deposit, how do you feel about this page? I understand they're trying to push Model S sales, but don't do it at the expense of customers willing to wait years and put a hefty deposit down.
This strikes me as a rare misplay by Tesla. The Model 3 comes with a glass roof standard so it's conveniently left out of the premium options section -- that's pretty misleading. By the tone of the spec table, you'd think a well-equipped Corolla will be competitive with the Model 3.
I'm one of those people. I think the deposit was put down in a moment of excitement, which has since died down quite a bit. Not only am I one of those people who gave them a deposit, I'm also likely one of those people who they meant to target: I drive a BMW 3-series, which would be the Model 3's main competitor.
Now given all that, this display made me really not excited about the Model 3. Electric car is nice but that's the only thing the Model 3 has going for it when compared to the 3 series. I don't see them emphasizing self driving and the acceleration is kind of just par for course, which shouldn't be the case for an electric car. Given Tesla's reputation for a Spartan interior, what am I getting out of it other than it being electric? The way I see it, I'm better off waiting a few more years to see if things improve. My current 328i has given me 5 years of good driving and no headache at all. Better integrating with smartphones would be great but the latest 3-series offers that as an option already.
So I have to wonder, why a Model 3 over a 3-series?
Meh. I put down a deposit because I wanted to keep my options open and if I didn't I probably wouldn't be able to get one before Tesla runs out of tax credits. When it comes out, we'll see what the actual specs are.
My main concerns about the Model 3 are that 1) I don't like the privacy and security implications of an always-on Internet connection, 2) it is yet to be seen how open Tesla is about service/maintenance documentation for the Model 3, and 3) I have some doubts about whether I'll like looking over to the right to see the instruments.
Tesla's model 3 versus model S page doesn't give me any insight into any of those concerns.
I have put down the deposit and don't really care until final unveiling. I understand their goals in upselling Model 3 reservation holders.
I don't really mind that the $1000 is holding my position in line at Tesla. Otherwise it would sit useless in my bank account.
It is a bit depressing how they downsell the Model 3, but I'm hoping it's just their weird strategy. If some people pull their deposits then even better, I can get my car sooner :P
But I definitely won't be buying before test driving it.
I waited in line to reserve a model 3. Pretty disappointed by the news lately.
It's pretty much a given that the first release will have some problems but add onto that the complete bareness of the model 3 base model and I'm scratching my head whether this is worth it.
If it's going to be close to 50k for a model 3 with autopilot I'm probably going to cancel. EVs are nice but I don't have loads of cash to throw at them.
I lined up pre-reveal to put my preorder in but I've already basically decided it's not for me. Looks kind of bland and the interior appears like it might be ridiculously spartan and the 4wd and performance versions are quite a way off, and their build quality will probably leave a lot to be desired for a while.
Tesla is just desperately trying to push Model S sales this quarter. That's probably also why they added back free supercharging to the Model S recently.
I was at a Tesla dealership the other day, and the "sales associate" or whatever they call them was really pushing me away from the Model 3. He said, "Think of it like an electric Civic. It has no luxury features. The dashboard is a flat board like a picnic table. It has no speedometer or any gauges in front of the driver (it's all on the touchscreen in the middle). It doesn't have air conditioning on the passenger side, or even a glove box. The entire $30K of the car is for the battery."
It almost made me want to pull my Model 3 reservation.
Go look at the interior options and features (and materials and fit+finish) of any mid-range luxury car (5series, E-Class, A6) and the Model S comes nowhere near in terms of luxuries and amenities and functions. Never mind the actual high end cars that the Model S is supposedly competing with (7Series, S-Class, A8).
They play it off as a very modern, minimal aesthetic but they're not fooling anyone - the interior is sparse and cheap and poorly executed.
As an operations person, I love how lean this car program is. They really stripped the car program down to just the necessary components and options to hit the price point they want. By limiting complexity I think they'll have the best shot at achieving the huge undertaking of scaling car production.
I will happily be wrong about this, but isn't a lead time of a year for a "mass market" vehicle a bit of an ask. Last time I bought a car the "lead time" was a week.
Seems that many people think that the Model 3 is the 'new' and 'best' car. They are constantly point out that if people want the best Tesla car it is still the Model S.
>Although it will be our newest vehicle, Model 3 is not “Version 3” or the most advanced Tesla. Like Model S, it is designed to be the safest car in its class.
Tesla is facing a potential big problem. New buyers are holding off and are waiting to see the final specs and price of the Model 3. This could harm a lot Tesla sales until Elon Musk reveals to the public the Model 3.
I also believe Tesla did a mistake by naming the Model with a number. In the mind of many people, 3 is what comes after 1 and 2 (S & X). People are used to this because of the iPhone naming convention.
Tesla is reaffirming that the Model 3, despite its name, is not a version 3. It will be the entry level of the brand and if people want to buy the best performing car that Tesla can produce, they should buy a S or a X now.
Is it normal for a car company to make a luxury model and an economic model that looks so similar?
I'm wondering if that's one of the reasons they feel the need to put up this comparison: they're not differentiating much on external looks, so they have to make it really clear that they're differentiating on features.
Virtually all near-luxury to luxury manufacturers do exactly this.
For these two Tesla models in particular, the headlights and trunk line are key differences between the 3 and S, and are clearly identified by enthusiasts. But the majority of the design is part of the brand's consistent motif, making them look very similar to laypeople.
To laypeople, the BMW 3 looks nearly identical to the 5; the A3 looks nearly identical to the A6; the C-class looks nearly identical to the E-class; the ATS looks nearly identical to the CTS; the XE looks nearly identical to the XF; and so on.
I'm not sure how normal it is. BMW does it, Mercedes does it to an extent, Audi does it, etc... American and Japanese brands seem to do something similar by using different brands, i.e. Nissan and Infiniti.
There is a misconception that the Model 3 is the most advanced Tesla model simply because it is the newest Tesla model. This was cannibalizing the sales of the Model S more than Tesla expected it to. Buyer who could afford a Model S or Model X were waiting for the Model 3 because they were under the mistaken belief that the Model 3 would offer all the newest, cutting edge technologies and self-driving capabilities.
As Musk said via Twitter, the Model S is on Gen. 4, and continues to offer the most advanced technologies.
That said, most people are waiting for the Model 3 because they can't (or do want to) afford a $100,000-$165,000 (with the self-driving packages) vehicle.
Depends on how many long trips you will realistically take. With my Leaf we charge it at home 95% of the time or more. Even though there are free chargers available to us in our area, it's not worth using them. Charging at home happens while the car is in the garage overnight and it's super cheap, so going at all out of my way to use a free public charger is not worth it. We basically only use them when they are in parking lots we were already going to park in.
I think musk dropped the ball here. A decontented 35-40k model 3 should be available. They should also allow you to option the price up for luxury and performance like the A4/S4/RS4 or 320/328/335/m3. That should make this vehicle both profitable and more aspirational.
[+] [-] dgudkov|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] arscan|8 years ago|reply
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/845278449811939328.
When asked why he named it Model 3 in that thread, his response was: "Because I was a dumb idiot and didn't realize at the time that it would cause confusion".
This mistake seems to have stuck with him -- he made a joke about it two months later when talking about naming his boring machines: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/860378029515718660
[+] [-] zdean|8 years ago|reply
"Model 3 is designed and built as a mass market, affordable electric vehicle. Although it will be our newest vehicle, Model 3 is not “Version 3” or the most advanced Tesla. Like Model S, it is designed to be the safest car in its class."
[+] [-] pjc50|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mikeash|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] moduspwnens14|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Nursie|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] brentis|8 years ago|reply
Not really thinking well done as I feel like it misses and possibly alienates both markets.
And 2 displays wow! What a premium feature.
Call it the way I seat it. /sorry
[+] [-] jngreenlee|8 years ago|reply
At least the first two intentionally mislead. The should have made the last one more damaging too!
[+] [-] phkahler|8 years ago|reply
Yep, the first thing I noticed was the pictures with the number of inches being compared.
[+] [-] 013a|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shauder|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unwind|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andruby|8 years ago|reply
This page shows both the model S and the model 3 side by side:
[+] [-] dgregd|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Roritharr|8 years ago|reply
For german customers all the current gen EVs(Bolt/i3/Leaf/Ioniq) with a topspeed of 140-150km/h are to my opinion not really save to drive on the Autobahn as you don't have some speed buffer to overtake someone who's driving 120-130km/h fast enough.
If Tesla manages to give the Model 3 a top-speed of 200km/h that would be a game-changer and make it a viable car for me. The Model S is viable in that regard, just too expensive for me personally.
[+] [-] Roritharr|8 years ago|reply
I'm going 130-150 in the center lane, normal traffic flow speed. Someone in front of me in the center lane goes 130, but drives rather unsafely, serves to the left and right, brakes hard, is clearly not used to driving on the autobahn or their car (usually 90s or early 2000s small hatchbacks like a Ford Fiesta) is at the limits of what it can do. I'm behind that car and deem it unsafe to drive behind someone like that for longer periods of time, so intend to overtake. If the driver in front of me goes somewhere between 130-140km/h which is usually the case as this is the topspeed ceiling for many 45PS small hatchbacks, i HAVE to drive somewhere between 150-180km/h to quickly overtake that car without sitting too long on the left lane. The problem gets worse when the car in front has truck pulling out in front of him because the truck wants to overtake another truck, with a 10km/h difference because its uphill (a blood boiling situation for many experienced Autobahn driver).
Because the acceleration of the small hatchback is rather slow, many drivers of such cars want to conserve momentum, so they change lanes very quickly in such situations, where they suddenly are driving 120-130km/h on the left lane, where cars are shooting by at 180-220km/h which are then breaking rapidly, sometimes on the level of emergency breaking. EVs, having physics on their side, could have much greater acceleration, making that split second decision those drivers take favor the safer option in the future.
I see this too often to not care about it, and have driven one of those small hatchbacks myself when I was younger.
And well, the Autopilot is a great feature, but I'm not yet willing to bet my families life on it for longer stretches than i'm focused. Having tested it on the Autobahn, I found it hard after a while to keep the focus on the same level as I would have it driving myself.
[+] [-] bemused|8 years ago|reply
your mindset is quite common among german car makers though, maybe the reason they are unable to offer competitive answers to a technologically rather boring challenge - bringing down the price for electronic vehicles by mass production
[+] [-] bitsoda|8 years ago|reply
This strikes me as a rare misplay by Tesla. The Model 3 comes with a glass roof standard so it's conveniently left out of the premium options section -- that's pretty misleading. By the tone of the spec table, you'd think a well-equipped Corolla will be competitive with the Model 3.
[+] [-] hangonhn|8 years ago|reply
Now given all that, this display made me really not excited about the Model 3. Electric car is nice but that's the only thing the Model 3 has going for it when compared to the 3 series. I don't see them emphasizing self driving and the acceleration is kind of just par for course, which shouldn't be the case for an electric car. Given Tesla's reputation for a Spartan interior, what am I getting out of it other than it being electric? The way I see it, I'm better off waiting a few more years to see if things improve. My current 328i has given me 5 years of good driving and no headache at all. Better integrating with smartphones would be great but the latest 3-series offers that as an option already.
So I have to wonder, why a Model 3 over a 3-series?
[+] [-] elihu|8 years ago|reply
My main concerns about the Model 3 are that 1) I don't like the privacy and security implications of an always-on Internet connection, 2) it is yet to be seen how open Tesla is about service/maintenance documentation for the Model 3, and 3) I have some doubts about whether I'll like looking over to the right to see the instruments.
Tesla's model 3 versus model S page doesn't give me any insight into any of those concerns.
[+] [-] michaldudek|8 years ago|reply
I don't really mind that the $1000 is holding my position in line at Tesla. Otherwise it would sit useless in my bank account.
It is a bit depressing how they downsell the Model 3, but I'm hoping it's just their weird strategy. If some people pull their deposits then even better, I can get my car sooner :P
But I definitely won't be buying before test driving it.
[+] [-] kneel|8 years ago|reply
It's pretty much a given that the first release will have some problems but add onto that the complete bareness of the model 3 base model and I'm scratching my head whether this is worth it.
If it's going to be close to 50k for a model 3 with autopilot I'm probably going to cancel. EVs are nice but I don't have loads of cash to throw at them.
[+] [-] tomwilson|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jedberg|8 years ago|reply
When I was at the Tesla store, this is what they said. Their exact words were, "Think of it as an electric Honda Civic".
[+] [-] Matheus28|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] manav|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jedberg|8 years ago|reply
It almost made me want to pull my Model 3 reservation.
[+] [-] swift33|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rsync|8 years ago|reply
That sounds very much like a Model S ...
Go look at the interior options and features (and materials and fit+finish) of any mid-range luxury car (5series, E-Class, A6) and the Model S comes nowhere near in terms of luxuries and amenities and functions. Never mind the actual high end cars that the Model S is supposedly competing with (7Series, S-Class, A8).
They play it off as a very modern, minimal aesthetic but they're not fooling anyone - the interior is sparse and cheap and poorly executed.
[+] [-] abraves10001|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cowmix|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Dwolb|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lukasm|8 years ago|reply
EDIT: https://www.tesla.com/compare?redirect=no works
[+] [-] moomin|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] magoon|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nickik|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sidcool|8 years ago|reply
>Although it will be our newest vehicle, Model 3 is not “Version 3” or the most advanced Tesla. Like Model S, it is designed to be the safest car in its class.
Gotta applaud the honesty.
[+] [-] cyrildorsaz|8 years ago|reply
Tesla is facing a potential big problem. New buyers are holding off and are waiting to see the final specs and price of the Model 3. This could harm a lot Tesla sales until Elon Musk reveals to the public the Model 3.
I also believe Tesla did a mistake by naming the Model with a number. In the mind of many people, 3 is what comes after 1 and 2 (S & X). People are used to this because of the iPhone naming convention.
Tesla is reaffirming that the Model 3, despite its name, is not a version 3. It will be the entry level of the brand and if people want to buy the best performing car that Tesla can produce, they should buy a S or a X now.
[+] [-] audunw|8 years ago|reply
I'm wondering if that's one of the reasons they feel the need to put up this comparison: they're not differentiating much on external looks, so they have to make it really clear that they're differentiating on features.
[+] [-] bhauer|8 years ago|reply
For these two Tesla models in particular, the headlights and trunk line are key differences between the 3 and S, and are clearly identified by enthusiasts. But the majority of the design is part of the brand's consistent motif, making them look very similar to laypeople.
To laypeople, the BMW 3 looks nearly identical to the 5; the A3 looks nearly identical to the A6; the C-class looks nearly identical to the E-class; the ATS looks nearly identical to the CTS; the XE looks nearly identical to the XF; and so on.
[+] [-] illegalsmile|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] johnward|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] iplaw|8 years ago|reply
As Musk said via Twitter, the Model S is on Gen. 4, and continues to offer the most advanced technologies.
That said, most people are waiting for the Model 3 because they can't (or do want to) afford a $100,000-$165,000 (with the self-driving packages) vehicle.
[+] [-] havella|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ebbv|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] XJOKOLAT|8 years ago|reply
In my London situation, 95% of my journeys will be within 50 miles easily.
I imagine it's more of an issue in the US and similar.
[+] [-] S_A_P|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] davidpelayo|8 years ago|reply
That's the biggest downside, from my perspective.
[+] [-] mattei|8 years ago|reply