Featured Tesla Model 3 May Have a 300 Mile Range Option

fwiw, many of the local leaf owners group were already jumping ship to model S, new or used. So conquests might be both non hybrids AND the ~100 mile ev's.
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While the prius was the first mainstream, I hate that term, hybrid, the model 3 if these deposits covert (mainly only dependant on tesla delivering close to the car they demoed) it will be the first mainstream plug-in.

common demographics - wealthy, educated homeowner

Plug-in drivers skew younger and higher current income than hybrid buyers.
Electric-Car Buyers Younger And Richer Than Hybrid Owners

The tesla model 3 aspires to be the best sports sedan. As such it is shooting for demographics like the bmw 3 and 5, audi 4 and 6, mercedes C and E, lexus IS and GS. I would bet it would also did into traditional lower priced midsized market - camry, accord, fusion, sonata, altima, etc.

Prius has the megacomuters, and some may get a 300 mile model 3, but unlikely to buy. Its also unlikely that the model 3 will sell to retirees, which the prius sells well.

There is some overlap but prius is only a tiny part of tesla's portential market. Tesla model 3 may kill some luxury hybrids.

 

no question. real 'mainstream' is when you convert $20,000. car buyers.

 

Lets see how things go when cars are available with a reasonable wait.

I'm 10 years retired and would buy a loaded 3 if I could test drive one and have one within 2 weeks and if a service center were local. 200 miles range or 150 with A/C or winter is enough for a second car.

Part of the reason I sold my Porsche (and a CRV) for a v was that service was 40 minutes away. Toyota was 3 minutes. Not that either car needed lots of service but they could.

When you get older, convenience and immediacy counts.

Who knows how long a retiree will be driving.

 

It seems like a good car for retirees except that many retirees don't have the patience that younger drivers may have. Small issues can become larger irritations for retirees who want things to just work.

 

you saying us old people have no patience? Well I'll have you know that .... hey you kids! get off my lawn!

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are there people actually retiring in this economy?

 

Sure, 3 people I work with retired last year, my parents also retired recently.

 

interesting - I'd love to see Tesla do a bit of marketing research to determine what most of the deposit holders cars are driving or giving up if that's the case.
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I'm sure tesla is doing that market research. i don't think they will make it public until factory is moving at full blast, which I don't expect until 2019 ;-) They didn't ask me what I was driving when I put down my deposits ;-)

 

being in dc, they must be gov employees.

 

Well my parents live in California but no, no one was a gov employee

 

glad to hear someone can retire, most of us seniors are working at home depot and costco, trying to make ends meet.

 

I'm looking forward to retirement - and being a greeter at Walmart.

 

With a Prius, I thought about:

• Uber driver
• Food delivery
• Commuter service to Mississippi casinos

Bob Wilson

 

Shame on you Bob - stealing ideas of entrepreneurial teens

Teen Offers Shuttle Service To Vegas In His New Tesla: LAist

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I am retired, and would've favored the 4G Prius ..... I really enjoyed my 2010.
But when I saw the new Prius design, I lost ALL interest .... and the passage of time has not changed my mind.
It was then that I started thinking about the Tesla 3.

Fortunately, in 2015 I bought an Avalon hybrid .... fantastic car. So my $1K is hibernating at Tesla until I get another 20,000 miles on the Avalon.
Some owners report minor issues with the 3 ..... hopefully by the time I am ready to make my move, the glitches will have all been resolved.
The 3 is a beautiful automobile (in my opinion), and just the right size, performance and comfort.
I like the fact that Tesla makes changes as they are needed ... rather than waiting to the next model year.

One final thought: Toyota seems committed to the traditional hybrid. I read that they have developed a new CVT, engine and inverter and they will be available soon (I don't recall if the article implied 2019???)

 

gen4 is all new, so likely nothing until 2022 for prius.

 

But maybe in the upcoming Rav4h.