Toyota Owners Jump Ship to Tesla

I cannot speak for other reservationists, I can only speak for myself when I placed TWO reservations. I believe so strongly in the company, its mission, goals, and objectives, the immediate threat to our environment and the future of our progeny that I was willing to put down those reservation deposits as my personal commitment even if it meant losing that money at some point in the future. Had that company been Toyota, I would have done the same for them.

I cannot speak for other reservationists, I can only speak for myself when I placed TWO reservations. I believe so strongly in the company, its mission, goals, and objectives, the immediate threat to our environment and the future of our progeny that I was willing to put down those reservation deposits as my personal commitment even if it meant losing that money at some point in the future. Had that company been Toyota, I would have done the same for them.

It is much more risky to our health and national security to tolerate dependence on ICE vehicles one moment longer. I will continue my commitment until every ICE vehicle, including hybrids, is off the road.

 

I'm coming around to regenerative braking. Reverting to "Creep" mode eases the transition, but this framework actually makes one-pedal driving possible.

 

I think you will find that most if not all of the design and technology features of the model 3 (what naysayers refer to as idiosyncrasies) make perfect sense as a car of the future. Congratulations, it will have been worth the wait!

 

From the Aug. 1st Tesla sales call to investors (bold mine):

• Robin Ren (world-wide sales) says top five non-Tesla trade-ins for Model 3 are Toyota Prius, BMW 3 series, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Nissan LEAF

 

Which seems to throw cold water on the premise that a Tesla (including the model 3) is only affordable to the "rich."

 

there is a big difference between the average car buyer and the early adopter.

 

Our own @bwilson4web is considering trading his Prius Prime for a used Tesla Model 3.

 

Doesn't matter, you mean there aren't that many MBZ, Audi, Lexus, Jaguar, BWM 5/7 early adopters? We are talking about 500K pre-orders.and so far it is customers moving up from less expensive cars rather than moving down from more expensive cars. That is the salient point. People are willing to spend a bit more for exciting technology whether early adopter or not, just check out the ever increasing price on smartphones!

 

Yep, looks like you have both represented in there though, which is obviously amazing news. We own 2 out of the 5. Another amazing thing is the price jump to the Model 3 compared to 4 out of 5 vehicles that are getting traded in. Another huge positive sign for Tesla.

 

Interestingly, no pickups or SUVs in those top-5 trade ins. The Toyota Camry outsells every car in that list yet the only Toyota to make the top 5 is the Prius. The Leaf? That's a blip in the overall new car market.

 

I have a coworker awaiting delivery of his Model 3. Although technically it is replacing his Leaf, I doubt he traded in his Leaf.
The car is built, sitting in a parking lot. They delayed delivery die to logistic issues.

 

It is not surprising that people are trading 4-door sedans for 4-door sedans. The disruption and erosion in the pickup and SUV segment will come when Tesla releases the Model Y and Model P.

 

Also, as with pickup and SUV drivers (not) moving to efficient ICE/hybrid sedans, not gonna happen in large number to battery electric vehicle sedans unless there is a gasoline price shock.

 

The Prius, as a model, is over 20 years old; it is no longer an early adopter car at this point. Its sales could be doing better if Toyota hadn't tried to make the 4th gen stand out in style.

The Leaf trade ins are early adopters.

The 3 series was the Model 3's target segment.

The Civic and Accord are text book average car buyers.

SUV people are waiting for the Model Y.

Considering the sterotypical Camry buyer, and the numbers of hybrid versions sold, owners may not be the type to trade in for a Model 3. That said, it and the Corolla could easily be in the top ten.

The sales trend is sedan buyers moving to SUVs.

 

When I was younger all I could afford was a Civic (I had one from 1995-2012 before my current Prius Plug-in). Could not afford even an Accord at the time I bought the Civic.

Discretionary income tends to go up significantly from young age onwards, so the Civic to Model 3 conquests may represent that.

Average buyers can then often afford luxury vehicles later in life.

 

we are also in another era of irrational exuberance. when the bubble pops, many will be back in camry's civic's and the like, or wishing they could.

 

when i was younger, they didn't give auto loans to anyone with a pulse and some without.

 

The Prius and other Toyota Hybrid sales could be better if they were not isolated to their own category separate from the cars & trucks they actually are.

 

Nobody got auto loans?
You pretty much covered everybody who has ever lived, including fictional characters.