Note that all the Tesla sales numbers in the article are estimates by the author of the article. There are no sources cited in the article. Other articles on this site from this same author are very clearly biased in favor of Tesla and electric cards in general. I would take this article with a grain of salt to say the least.<p>FTA: "Tesla reports quarterly sales and does not break them out by country or region. Eventually, we get registration data from Europe, China (<i>educated estimates</i> at least), and Canada and can then make a more solid <i>estimate of US sales</i> for the quarter, as well as monthly sales estimates. However, <i>it’s a bit early for all of that since we don’t have September numbers from most countries yet</i>. Even our data-loving friend and contributor Jose Pontes of EV Volumes didn’t want to venture out too far on a limb and provide an early estimate that he might have to walk back. That said, looking at previous months’ data, September figures from the Netherlands and Norway, and deeper historical data, I feel comfortable estimating Model 3 sales between 40,000 and 50,000 in the US in the third quarter. For this report, I’ve settled on 43,000."
They are wonderful cars and I have never heard anyone not loving the driving experience.<p>The only concern that I think is preventing growth (Other than production of course) - is the concern about long term reliability.<p>If you buy a camry or prius you know almost for a fact, that your going to drive 200k miles without a problem, and if there is one, its recognized as an engineering failure and the dealership fixes it for free - and fast.<p>But with Tesla, there are lots of rumors that the queue for getting stuff fixed it really long, and that after warranty expires, really expensive.<p>What I am really scared of is another "BMW" style reliability experience, which I would consider to be a catastrophic failure on the part of Tesla.<p>Edit - also accidents "caused" by "autopilot" software, and liability is still a big question.
For those who are thinking "the Model 3 isn't a luxury car", the model 3 is selling at about half the rate of the Camry or Civic.<p><a href="http://carsalesbase.com/us-car-sales-data/honda/honda-civic/" rel="nofollow">http://carsalesbase.com/us-car-sales-data/honda/honda-civic/</a><p>Pretty impressive, IMO.
I'd never in my life have thought I'd have bought a car > $50,000 and here I am with a AWD LR Model 3 and loving it! My other car was a 2011 Ford Fiesta. If you don't want to purchase one, don't do a test drive. Once my wife and I did a test drive in a Model S, we were both sold on a Tesla.
This is really important to me, because it's showing up all of the other automakers dragging their feet on making electric cars - giving this excuse and that excuse why it doesn't make sense or it can't be done. It's forcing them to acknowledge that electric is the future, and they're going to have to go electric to stay relevant. I think it's safe to say at this point that Musk has done his job, regardless of the future of Tesla.
I have a Chevy Bolt and a Model 3 in my household. Of course I much prefer to drive the Model 3, but the Chevy bolt is also all electric , goes about 240 miles on a single charge and costs about $20k less than the Model 3.
Why more people don't get a Chevy Bolt, is a mystery to me.
I have to say if anyone are in doubt about getting one, for me personally the experience of driving the car trumps all other issues I've had with Tesla. I used to be a A to B car person, now I drive for fun all the time. I make up excuses just to drive.<p>Tesla is a startup company and can be a bit difficult to deal with but I will repeat what John Carmac said about his Tesla [1], "It's my happiness machine".<p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua-ikbZVofc" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua-ikbZVofc</a> [VIDEO]
I don't see this mentioned anywhere. But the Tesla model 3 has the highest saftey rating of any car.<p>disclaimer I am pro tesla.<p><a href="https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/tesla/model-3-4-door-sedan/2019" rel="nofollow">https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/tesla/model-3-4-door-se...</a>
Great job for Tesla! I was interested in an EV but ended up with a Volt myself - the expiring GM $7,500 plus huge discounts GM was having after announcing after shutting down Volt production let me get a $40k car for under $24k.<p>If I had to pay full MSRP I would have preferred a Tesla (or Bolt) and go full EV rather than PHEV! I do see more and more Telsas on the road, more than Priuses, Leafs, or any other EV/hybrid.
I'm curious to know how people who bought Teslas thought about these pros and cons:<p>• lower maintenance costs than ICE vehicles<p>• higher insurance costs than ICE vehicles<p>• possibility of long delays for repairs (moreso than other EVs)<p>• possibility of company going out of business, and impact on software maintenance, software updates, and parts availability (also moreso than other EVs)
The sedan market is small and shrinking: there is a reason Ford has abandoned it. Tesla should be viewed in relation to the entire passenger vehicle market. According to <a href="http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/us-vehicle-sales-figures-by-model/#vwspc-section-5" rel="nofollow">http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/us-vehicle-sales-figures-by-mod...</a><p>... The Model 3 ranks 50th or so.
I still think it's only a matter of time before Apple takes another bite at Tesla. They want into the space, and are just too far back on the technology curve. They could engage someone to build the car for them, ala what they did for Foxconn, but they are not going to deliver better technology then what Tesla already has. There is a insane amount of overlap between Tesla owners and Apple's most lucrative customers, and Tesla's owner satisfaction is through the roof. It would be pricey, but I can see Apple making a huge bet there.
I have trouble squaring this ostensibly fantastic news with the constant dire predictions about the stock.<p>Is it just the stock is considered by some people to be simply overpriced, or is Tesla the company in danger of going bankrupt? I'd like to get a Tesla, but I worry about the company going under and being left with a car that has no resale value or ability to be maintained.
I think there is a dilemma at Tesla whether to go with a mid range ($20-25k car) with limited miles(limited performance,etc etc, you get it...)vs going for the mid luxury to full on luxury ranged cars.<p>Also 2020-21 would be the years where mass market car companies like Honda / Toyota might release their cars and my guess it would start with ~$25k range
Cadillac sold about 154,000 cars last year, but they're not listed.<p>The Tesla Model 3 is heavier than the Cadillac CT5 and CTS. All are 5 seats. The Cadillac CTS has a 1.5" longer wheelbase than the Tesla Model 3. The definition of "small and midsize" seems to have been carefully chosen here.
Duh. Even if the numbers in the article were accurate, nobody besides Tesla buyers are purchasing cars. Everybody else is buying Crossovers and SUVs. Ford and Chevrolet don't even have mid size cars anymore.
Tesla could (and for some, arguably does) make the best vehicles in the world but if they can't figure out how to make them for a profit eventually and inevitably Tesla will go broke. Also something I didn't know until reading the article below is that Telsa doesn't even have IP on their batteries, they're Panasonic batteries!<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2019/05/29/who-would-buy-tesla-and-why/#69ecc79f3451" rel="nofollow">https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2019/05/29/who-wo...</a><p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2019/01/22/wasnt-tesla-supposed-to-make-more-money-as-the-model-3-ramped/#7e928494c737" rel="nofollow">https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2019/01/22/wasnt-tes...</a>