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Originally Posted by mkoesel

It shows exactly what is already very clear and known - the EV market is still in its infancy.

In the segments where Tesla competes with the Model 3 and Model S, their sales are high - higher than some manufacturers who sell ICE vehicles in those same segments. Just like we don’t measure any other manufacturers overall performance against the total market, and then penalize them for low sales in segments where they do not have product, it does not make any sense whatsoever to do that for Tesla either.



No. The Model 3 does not compete against the Bolt any more than a midsize ICE sport sedan competes against an ICE subcompact hatchback. The two start out with different goals and appeal to people with different priorities.



Clearly not for everyone. That bell curve simply illustrates that most people felt $35k is a reasonable price to pay for a new vehicle. But plenty of people spend more than that. Many of them frequent this forum. I spent more than that on my vehicle to obtain a practical sedan with suitably high performance for my taste. Others have done the same. If I wer to buy a Tesla, it would be for that same reason. It is that simple for me, and that simple for others - namely other Tesla customers.



Time will tell if you are correct.

In the meantime, the vehicles they offer today at the prices they offer them absolutely do, as point of fact by looking at the numbers, appeal to a significant number of people who shop in the segments in which those products fall.

There are literally thousands of articles on the web in car magazines, financial magazines, and business magazines discussing if the Model 3 was/is going to affect sales of the Chevy Bolt and vice versa, so the two are market competitors in many people's eyes. The argument being they are the first two EVs that offer plus-200-mile range at a $35K price target. The Bolt achieved that mark right out of the gate and the Tesla Model 3 didn't. The Bolt came out as a CUV because that is where the majority of market sales are. Sales for sedans are trailing off like a brick dropped of the transom of a fishing boat.

One of the most considered points of owning an EV is the lower cost of fuel due to lower consumption by a more efficient conversion of stored energy to motion (vs. ICE). The entire automotive market is geared toward and legally-mandated for low fuel consumption and low emissions production. Gasoline and electricity are about the same cost per KW (12 cents per kWh). A review of the current EVs on the market shows that the majority are econoboxes (Bolt included). Lower income wage earners are the target consumer for econoboxes. Economically it makes no sense to buy a $50K car to save $1,000/year in fuel cost. A decent econobox can be well had for under $20K. $30K of gasoline buys hundreds of thousands of miles of travel. Most people, who have concern regarding their commuting costs, and who have to balance their budget allocations between transportation, food, housing, etc. realize this and buy low-price ICE vehicles, and why the EV percentage of the total automotive marketplace remains at 1%.