Electric Decisions
New pictures surfaced today showing the upcoming Tesla Model S sedan side by side with the headline-grabbing EV automaker’s much-hyped Roadster.
At this point, I’m not sure whether the attempt to completely rip off the styling of the Maserati Quattroporte and especially the Aston Martin Rapide is an utterly shameless lack of design originality, or a masterful recognition of the qualities that give those two cars instant pull in the stratospheric price points they inhabit ($125K and $200K, respectively).
That said, if Tesla manages to talk potential owners through uneasiness over the car’s electric range, and they can get their logistical ducks in a row (production capacity, dealer network, advertising, etc), the car has the potential to be a game-changer at its target MSRP of just over $55K. I mean, who wouldn’t want a car as sexy as the $20K more expensive Audi A7, with the added trendiness of being an EV, at a “paltry” 15 grand (pre-incentives) over the exponentially frumpier Chevy Volt? I’ll speak for myself, but between those two, it’d be a no-brainer to hunker down and save the extra cash (or cough up the extra monthly premium) to drive the Tesla over the Chevy.
You’re kidding. A car that looks like that for $55k? As long as propulsion doesn’t require one to pedal, I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t want one. Who wouldn’t want to look twice as rich at half the price?