October 28th, 2014 by Christopher DeMorroÂ
Originally posted on GAS2
The Tesla Model III is being designed with a broad audience in mind, Tesla’s vice president of engineering told AutoExpress in a recent interview. This could lead to a wider variety of available models that could include a SUV and station wagon (estate) versions as well.
Elon Musk has time and again set his sights on BMW 3 series as the benchmark for the Model III (formerly called the Model E), promising a $35,000 price point and 200 miles of driving range per charge. But in order to really compete with the class-leading Bimmer, the Model III will have to come in more than just sedan flavors; one of the easier and more obvious choices would be a two-door coupe model, and British-born Tesla’s VP of engineering Chris Porritt says that the door is wide open to any of a number of ideas to broaden the appeal of the Model III. Tesla is doing something similar with the Model X SUV, which shares the same chassis as the Model S sedan, but a station wagon has only been imagined by concept artists so far.
Porritt went on to emphasize that the two most important things to Tesla right now are volume and cost; achieving a comparable price with its primary competition is the only way Tesla can hope to really compete with the likes of BMW, Audi, and other luxury automakers. The Model S makes a compelling case against similarly-priced luxury cars, but the market for $70,000 luxury barges is a lot smaller than the market for entry-level luxury cars like the BMW 3 series. While Tesla’s $32 billion valuation sounds formidable, consider that BMW is worth more than twice as much and has many of the existing manufacturing and supply systems in place that Tesla needs if it ever wants to rival the embedded auto industry.
Elon Musk hopes the Gigafactory will bring costs down far enough to make the Model III as affordable as he keeps claiming, but some analysts have their doubt that Tesla can bring battery costs down far enough. This likely means the Model III will be made from steel instead of aluminum like the Model S, and neat features like the pop-out door handles might not make the transition either.
With a wider range of models though, Tesla’s appeal will grow exponentially. Coupe, SUV, crossover, wagon…what flavor of Model III would get your money?
Image: Theophilus Chin
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