By 2019 Tesla will produce flying cars. Not worried at all by Mercedes competition.

If I am reading this correctly, about five years from now, a great car company, Mercedes, will be building what Tesla is making now, or, perhaps, will have in the Model X within the next year. Am I correct?

MSEV said:

If I am reading this correctly, about five years from now, a great car company, Mercedes, will be building what Tesla is making now, or, perhaps, will have in the Model X within the next year. Am I correct?

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I think you have it. By then Tesla will have advanced to a whole new level and Mercedes will launch a car that's competitive with Tesla models that are five years old. But you can be sure that Mercedes will be crowing about how innovative it is.

Be mindful toward whom you huck rocks. MB fanbois are no doubt giggling over the chances of a Tesla being delivered in 2019 with the same fit and finish, build quality, bells and whistles (and on and on) of a 2014 entry level MB let alone a comparable model on size/price.

There's no question Tesla will stay at the pointy end of propulsive electric technology for the forseeable future. We could only be so lucky for Tesla to one day compete with MB in [just about] every other area of automotive technology.

bxr140 said:

Be mindful toward whom you huck rocks. MB fanbois are no doubt giggling over the chances of a Tesla being delivered in 2019 with the same fit and finish, build quality, bells and whistles (and on and on) of a 2014 entry level MB let alone a comparable model on size/price.

There's no question Tesla will stay at the pointy end of propulsive electric technology for the forseeable future. We could only be so lucky for Tesla to one day compete with MB in [just about] every other area of automotive technology.

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I think that Tesla is already competitive in fit and finish. MB has luxuriousness and comfort down and is the clear winner over Tesla in that area. Which is why it is good that MB will have a decent EV on the market. I was always hoping that Tesla would create a "luxury package" for those willing to pay for luxury features. Tesla, however, seems happy to stick to the cutting edge of technology in user interface and electric drivetrain and willing to let other companies focus on comfort. I'm pretty sure that Tesla will stick with their clean simple design language all the way through the Model III and the Model III crossover. Which leaves an area for others to grab a little market share of.

Another compelling MS competitor yet to be built, years away, vs. family sedan as fast as an aventador (at least at legal speed limits).

2 things:
- this is the vehicle platform, they've already been doing work on the drivetrain, so ease off on the "5 years behind" talk because, like Tesla's driver assist work, their target will be ahead of state of the art.
- as a computer programmer "bespoke platform" is a humorous oxymoron.

ItsNotAboutTheMoney said:

2 things:
- this is the vehicle platform, they've already been doing work on the drivetrain, so ease off on the "5 years behind" talk because, like Tesla's driver assist work, their target will be ahead of state of the art.
- as a computer programmer "bespoke platform" is a humorous oxymoron.

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By "working on the drivetrain", do you mean buying battery packs from Tesla for the B-class?

probably... as in Mercedes has been working on a very nicely designed drivetrain

Seems like the Mercedes fanboys have already joined the discussion

I've never owned one (dislike German cars intensely -- they are so Teutonic), so what do I know? But my brother has and was not impressed. He switched permanently to BMW years ago.

artsci said:

Seems like the Mercedes fanboys have already joined the discussion

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LOL. Classic internet response...

Look, I'm just trying to interject a little logic and reason, and perhaps even a little humility into the situation. I suck down as much Tesla kool-aid as anyone, but I try to balance my evangalism with a little bit of reality and I implore others to do the same. It does us no good as early adopters to pretend our cars are simply better, period. It does no good to tell that S-class owner that your Tesla's fit and finish is anywhere comparable, because it isn't. There are plenty of aspects in which are cars are unequivocally better. There are also places where theres obvious work that needs to be done, and--deep breath--thats okay! I realize this isn't a missionary thread that's trying to convert German car enthusiasts (so sorry for the rant...), but history has shown time and again that the bad habits learned in practice always seem to surface in the big game...

For the record, I have never and will likely never own an MB. I don't like them. I'm an Audi guy through and through. So, sorry about your assumption. :wink:

Another car maker planning to be 10 years behind Tesla. This reinforces my belief that Nissan is the only other carmaker seriously competing in the electric car market (Nissan's only about 2-3 years behind).

First mover advantage doesn't get you everything, but damn, it comes close.

If it is anything like what the picture looks like, we won't have to worry about them selling too many cars...

It's better late than never. If MB started to invest in EV and that's great for the industry. Competition is always good and I love to see more companies believe in EV and can invest their resources. We need more than 1 or 2 companies' commitment to be successful. My guess is if the next breakthrough battery technology will drive more car companies ride on the bandwagon.

One of the most impressive cars never made:

Interesting that MB used the term "bespoke." My sense of the word is something custom designed and built, like a "bespoke" suit. My left shoulder is a little lower than average, so I would like the driver's side arm rest to be 1 inch lower than normal. Also my head tends to bump against the moon roof, so could I have the roof 2 inches taller than normal. I would like a range of 400 miles on a charge, not 280. The trunk needs to be able to fit my equipment case. Teslas come a bit of the way toward custom, in that you order your car with the precise equipment you want, rather than buying something with a set of accessories predetermined at the factory like most cars, including the fancy ones. However, it isn't "bespoke." Not sure whether the MB Maybachs could be ordered with roofs a little higher or lower or other really "bespoke" features.

astrotoy said:

Interesting that MB used the term "bespoke." My sense of the word is something custom designed and built, like a "bespoke" suit. My left shoulder is a little lower than average, so I would like the driver's side arm rest to be 1 inch lower than normal. Also my head tends to bump against the moon roof, so could I have the roof 2 inches taller than normal. I would like a range of 400 miles on a charge, not 280. The trunk needs to be able to fit my equipment case. Teslas come a bit of the way toward custom, in that you order your car with the precise equipment you want, rather than buying something with a set of accessories predetermined at the factory like most cars, including the fancy ones. However, it isn't "bespoke." Not sure whether the MB Maybachs could be ordered with roofs a little higher or lower or other really "bespoke" features.

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bespoke simply means that it is their own. not something they have bought somewhere else and then use as their own. as is often done with drivetrains today

German here, but not a MB driver. Sorry to all guys dowsing in acid language: you completely missed the point. This is the acknowledgement of Daimler that electric drive train is a viable propulsion. They will make it fit with their credo "the best or nothing" (silly, I agree.) But consider the consequences: It is no longer possible to put the electric drive train in disregard. Simple answer from now on: Even Daimler, maker of the finest German cars, will use this technology.

Accolades from Germany for Tesla's technology.

MikeC said:

By "working on the drivetrain", do you mean buying battery packs from Tesla for the B-class?

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No, I mean that they have R&D on electric drivetrains, but had previously not been convinced enough to have a dedicated EV platform. To assume that because they've started 5 years later that they're 5 years of work behind, would be the same mistake as to asume that because the Prius had ACC in 2009 and Tesla didn't push on driver assist until 2013 and Toyota doesn't have autopilot yet, then Tesla won't have Autopilot at least until 2018.

This is a good decision by MB that'll help them be more competitive in the future.