How does one define a performance car versus a luxury car? Surely one would not call the $110,000 Corvette ZR1 a “luxury” car despite its six-figure price tag. So it is that given a choice between the distinctions, a Tesla exec said that the EV maker is “competing base don performance”, aiming to build not just a great electric car, but a great car in general.
The comments come from Tesla’s VP of business development, Diarmuid O’Connell during a conference call with the Electrification Coalition. So despite the fact that the Tesla Model S is outselling many luxury competitors, Tesla seems more interested in the 4.2 second 0-60 mph sprint than establishing itself as a luxury automaker.
Even so, the electric Model S sedan which can cost as little as $62,500 and as much as $94,000, is outselling many conventional competitors’ products. This includes established competitors like the Audi A8, BMW 7-series, and the Mercedes S-Class. It seems the emphasis on performance really helped Tesla make believers, and I don’t doubt that German automakers are scrambling to come up with a cost-effective Tesla competitor of their own. But it’ll be hard to outpace the quick Model S, which dominates everything from the road course to the drag strip, while also being the highest-rated car ever tested by Consumer Reports.
Who would have thought the key to making a successful electric car company would be to offer performance above all things?
Source: Automotive News
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