[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by JSH

From roflwaffle's report (and my coworker's car) Tesla has raised the level of fit an finish to that of average economy car (like the Prius) that cost tens of thousands less than what Tesla is charging for a Model 3. They are not to the level of fit and finish that is expected in the luxury segment. A short time ago, Tesla was shipping cars to customers that simply should not have left the factory. When a company is willing to sell cars with visible defects it makes me wonder corners they are cutting on parts that the customer can't see.

The fit and finish is IMO better than a Prius or similar (Insight/etc...). There were a similar number of small defects. The 3 has some seals that could be massaged into place better, and the Prius has some lumpy softex, but like I said, I could look hard at the majority of cars and find some issue. Along the same lines, all companies are willing to sell cars with visible defects. Tesla may sell more cars in the near future with defects if owners accept delivery, but that's more about Tesla trying to become more financially self-sufficient than anything else.

Originally Posted by JSH

The Tesla Model 3 doesn't compete in the same sector as the Prius. It competes with Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. It is a $50K to $60K car not a $25K to $30K car. The standards for fit and finish are very different.

I never said the 3's interior competed with a $25k to $30k car. It's current interior is IMO competitive with other luxury cars with similar acceleration, handling, size, and so on. At the same time, it's very spartan and unique. If you like it, you like it. If you don't, you don't. I wish my Prius had the 3's interior. Offhand, the only thing I would take from the Prius is the HUD + being able to black out the center display.

Originally Posted by JSH

Telsa doesn't come close to meeting industry quality standards. The quality on the Model S and Model X have been horrible. Their owners seem to tolerate the quality issues because Tesla is really good about fixing them and they like the product. That business model only works with very low volumes and when Tesla is the only company that sells a performance electric car. Both of those will change over the next few years as Model 3 volume ramps up and established automakers enter the market

Musk knows his quality is horrible. That is why he refuses to participate with companies that benchmark quality like JD Powers.

I agree that the S and X have had issues with quality. From what I've read, the S and X have gotten better, with the S quality being substantially better. My wife and I have both test driven a Model S and rented an X for a few days. The 3's quality is substantially better than both, especially the X, although the X we rented was one of the first produced. The ride and NVH of the 3 in particular are second to none IMO, although the only luxury ICE I've driven was my wife's 2010 A3.

Originally Posted by JSH

My paycheck isn't affected by Tesla. My company is doing great. Our car division is continuing a 5 year streak of monthly year over year sales increases. The truck division (which I work for) is book out into next year. (Tesla isn’t the only company with an order backlog)

Even if Tesla is successful in reaching their goal of 1 million cars per year they will still be a niche player in an industry that sells 81 million cars per year. Tesla has done a great job showing that there is a market for an electric car. It will be interesting to see if their demand holds up in the face of competition. I wish them luck.

That was directed at some select media outlets, not anyone in particular, and certainly not you. There's plenty of room in manufacturing, including auto manufacturing. Still, I wouldn't discount anyone, especially Tesla.