A number of people are attempting to claim that although the Tesla Model S is an amazing vehicle that seems to be winning every possible automotive award and pleasing the majority of customers, demand is going to drop off and Tesla won't have an expanding market for the car. Even when faced with the reality of an almost sold out 2013 production run and increasing reservations some people insist that once the early adopter consumers have had their orders filled interest in the vehicle will drop off. One thing they fail to realize is that this car is a marketing juggernaut that is selling itself now that is being released into the wild in ever increasing numbers. There is no simple data that can explain the phenomenon, but I keep running across the experiences of Model S owners that paint a clear picture. These quotes are just a small sampling of what can be found at the Tesla Motors Club forums:
At NO TIME in my fifty years have I seen those with McLaren experience
come together with Prius owners and agree on spending $50K to $100K on a
car. That simply does not ever happen and yet it has happened. Dogs
sleeping with cats. Soccer moms driving rocket ships.
After having my S for 2 weeks, it blows the doors off of any car I've
either owned or driven previously. Luxury, speed, smoothness, space,
responsiveness. Nothing compares.
Ultimately, the Model S made for an easy proposition to pay above my
original price-point to essentially make no compromises. Cool tech, no
gas, space, luxury, and performance. This was all before I actually
drove one! Once I had an oppotunity to drive one it was a serious
no-brainer for me.
FWIW - I have tried HARD to find another car that excites me as much as the model S and I just can't find one.
I've been in Los Angeles for the past three days, where the presence of
high-end ICE's is about as good as it gets. I drove by the Ferrari and
Lamborghini showrooms a few times and on the road the number of BMWs and
Audis is countless. As much as I love and admire these cars, I kept
getting the sinking feeling that their breeds are are not long for this
world. It might be like how forward-thinking people riding horses felt
when the first Model T's appeared. They probably recognized that the
old ways were going to die.
Sure, these cars will remain. But they will become oddities of a kind
-- collectors items to be admired as the pinnacle of a day gone by. The
Model S is the future, ICE's are the past.
I've driven pretty high-powered, RWD, good handling stick shift cars for my entire adult life.
The Model S is unique blend of driver's car and practical sedan. Even
leaving out the eco-friendly/high-efficiency aspect, this car has no
equal.
I can get better handling in a Ferrari or Porsche. I can get equal
throttle response in a supercar like a McLaren. I can get a comparably
comfortable ride and comfortably carry 5 adults in many big luxury
sedans. I can get the same amount of cargo room in SUV's and some big
sedans/wagon.
To the best of my knowledge, the only place I can get all of that in one
car is the Model S. Period. To get that, I'll gladly put up with the
265 mile range and the lack of some features. Especially because it's
pretty clear that the electric drivetrain is what lets Tesla put all
those features into the one car.
I think what is interesting is that tesla has attracted new buyers to
the luxury car market, people like me who have never even test drove a
luxury car.
Everyone is totally blown away that has never heard of Tesla!!!
I am constantly having drivers behind me at stop lights aiming phones at
me (and occasionally in front of me hanging out of a window and facing
backwards!)
I was dropping off a friend at MIA today, and pulled up to the curbside
at departures. The skycap looked at the car, seemed intrigued, and then
peeked inside and nearly flipped out. He called over some other
skycaps, and before I knew it the entire skycap staff was looking at the
car, taking pictures and video. I fielded a lot of questions. One of
the skycaps said, "I've seen every type of car possible at my curb, and
this is the nicest one I've ever seen." I thanked him. He went on to
say, "Man, I mean 50 Cent was here the other day and this is nicer than
his car!" I said, "Seriously? I beat Fitty???" "Most definitely," he
replied. A large woman who appeared to be the supervisor came over to
see what the commotion was, and she looked inside too and was apparently
pretty impressed. "Are you married?" she asked.
The other day a guy made about 3 full revolutions around my S by
changing lanes and speeding up and slowing down to get shots of me with
his smartphone.
And on and on and on, this is just a small sample of the ownership experience. Tesla owners describe something called "Tesla Time", where you must leave extra time when making trips to answer questions from an admiring and inquisitive public. At this point there are around 3000 Tesla Model S sedans on the road, in the US and Canada. What will be the likely outcome when there are thousands more of them on the road world wide? Does this in any way seem like a shrinking market that will only be populated by early adopters? Place your bets. I have.
