The Audi E-Tron GT is finally here, and it’s a friendly rivalry with his distant stablemate, the Porsche Taycan. But I can not stop thinking that the real winner in all this is not Volkswagen Group. It is Tesla.
And it’s less about the Model S suddenly becoming a less formidable competitor – even against carmakers whose job it is to build incredibly fast cars – and more about the relative affordability of Tesla’s Model 3.
Because the model is the EV that most US drivers can possibly buy.
We are full charge in advance on EVs, but so far the EVs that make waves are EVOs like halo EVs like the Taycan, E-Tron and until recently, the Model S. The three cars start at around $ 80,000 and can easily be in six digits .
G / O Media can get a commission
Meanwhile, the entry-level Model 3 starts at about $ 38,000, less than the average new transaction price for 2020, according to KBB. It’s quite a bit of money, but not so much that it drives the BEV out of pocket for many buyers. Do not note that there are similar prices, such as the Bolt, Leaf or Mach-E. Those do not have the kind of consequence or exposure to the mass market that Teslas has, for better or for worse.
Tesla’s ubiquity is not always good; the carmaker and his umm, eccentric leader can sometimes be the point of the joke, but jokes or not, drivers know about Tesla. The Model 3 did not quite fit on the promise of the affordable EV, but Tesla is able to develop that car so that its quality can fetch the price.
Tesla may even be able to really affordable EV which might start at $ 25,000. Not many other companies can say that. It is possible that the big carmakers could bring the fight to Tesla with the help of federal tax credits. Let’s see how things shake out on that front in the near future.
But for now, Tesla is in an enviable place as a manufacturer of electric cars. Meanwhile, Porsche and Audi are beating themselves up because they are manufacturers of what could just as well be electric super motors.