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Porsche starting to take Tesla seriously

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From the article:
Porsche is targeting a range of more 500 kilometers (310 miles) before needing to recharge, which shouldn’t take longer than a normal stop on a motorway, he said.

Does he understand that this is beyond the limit of the current technology (assuming he means a fuel stop)? And that there will need to be infrastructure on the motorway to support this? To me, this is still vaporware. Tesla is closest to being able to do this, and will definitely get there first.
 


Of the various brands, Porsche is the one I'm watching the closest for detecting measurable evidence of Tesla's impact on the market. My thinking is that Porsche is an exclusively luxury brand, with sales volume in the same order of magnitude as Tesla (33k vs 190k last year). I expect Tesla to be approximately equal in unit sales to Porsche in 2 or 3 years, but seeing the specifics might give us insight into larger market impact.

Does Porsche continue growing alongside of Tesla as Tesla grows? That would suggest to me that the shared market is growing very quickly.

Alternatively, does Porsche stagnate or begin to contract as Tesla grows? That would suggest to me that measurable numbers of people that would otherwise be buying a Porsche are switching to Tesla.

Either way, this is the maker that I expect to be the first to most directly feel and visibly exhibit impact on their business from Tesla. I'm curious to see what happens :)


I suspect folks at Porsche have had the same thought.
 
From the article:


Does he understand that this is beyond the limit of the current technology (assuming he means a fuel stop)? And that there will need to be infrastructure on the motorway to support this? To me, this is still vaporware. Tesla is closest to being able to do this, and will definitely get there first.

maybe he means a rest stop.. 20 minutes or so -- so like a supercharger.
 
I'm pleased to see Mueller acknowledge that Tesla is real competition for Porsche. I am sure he is nervous about the potential for the X to take a big bite out of Cayenne sales, which are a major revenue source for Porsche, just as the S has taken market share from the Panamera. But I think Porsche is many years away from building a viable Tesla competitor, meaning a long range luxury EV in the same price range.
 
I'm pleased to see Mueller acknowledge that Tesla is real competition for Porsche. I am sure he is nervous about the potential for the X to take a big bite out of Cayenne sales, which are a major revenue source for Porsche, just as the S has taken market share from the Panamera. But I think Porsche is many years away from building a viable Tesla competitor, meaning a long range luxury EV in the same price range.

It fascinates me that execs of the major auto makers rarely say anything negative about Tesla and often speak positively. It's almost as if Tesla is a bit of a sacred cow that nobody can hurt, for fear of backlash.

Its a very unusual situation and I can't think of another case like it.
 
Porsche chief Matthias Mueller said "where we have to follow up now.” Meaning we are behind and we need to catch up now. I do believe they have receive reports of customers deciding for Tesla over 911 or so. I don't know if I'm the only one however a year a ago I used to look up at 911 or BMW M3 or AMG mercs. For me they were the best cars. Now I don't feel that way anymore. In my head today I see them as good cars with old tech fossil fuel drive trains. I just can't get around the fossil fuel drive train making me not desire them like I used too. I would love to know if this has happened to you? Also Did anybody decide to buy a Tesla over a Porsche/AMG/m3? And if so why?
 
@AUSinator, yes many people here feel as you do. And there have been several threads discussing why people moved away from their long standing car brand preferences to purchase a Tesla. My father sold his Panamera in 2013 to buy a Model S. I sold two Porsche's to buy a Model S and a Roadster.

I found Mueller's choice of the word "pragmatic" in his description of Tesla to be an interesting one, and in my opinion highly complimentary.

Pragmatic, definition: "dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations."

Pragmatism is one of Elon's core principles.
 
From the article:


Does he understand that this is beyond the limit of the current technology (assuming he means a fuel stop)? And that there will need to be infrastructure on the motorway to support this? To me, this is still vaporware. Tesla is closest to being able to do this, and will definitely get there first.
I'm sure he does. There was a sad automobile mag article a couple of months ago about euro cars in the works in response to tesla (thread here). They were all roughly tesla current spec, but due in 2019 optimistically. My response was that this is very unambitious! If mueller is gunning for something more in terms of charging, then great! Aim high. All new bev cars should advance the game.
 
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@AUSinator, yes many people here feel as you do. And there have been several threads discussing why people moved away from their long standing car brand preferences to purchase a Tesla. My father sold his Panamera in 2013 to buy a Model S. I sold two Porsche's to buy a Model S and a Roadster.

I found Mueller's choice of the word "pragmatic" in his description of Tesla to be an interesting one, and in my opinion highly complimentary.

Pragmatic, definition: "dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations."

Pragmatism is one of Elon's core principles.

Germans pride themselves as being pragmatic. It's absolutely a very high compliment.
 
Porsche chief Matthias Mueller said "where we have to follow up now.” Meaning we are behind and we need to catch up now. I do believe they have receive reports of customers deciding for Tesla over 911 or so. I don't know if I'm the only one however a year a ago I used to look up at 911 or BMW M3 or AMG mercs. For me they were the best cars. Now I don't feel that way anymore. In my head today I see them as good cars with old tech fossil fuel drive trains. I just can't get around the fossil fuel drive train making me not desire them like I used too. I would love to know if this has happened to you? Also Did anybody decide to buy a Tesla over a Porsche/AMG/m3? And if so why?
Yes, I spent the better part of 25 years in the car business and grew up working around cars as a boy. Sold my Jaguar to buy the Tesla and last year was the first time in 44 years I did not own a Jaguar, if Tesla was not around would probably still have a Jaguar or possibly the new Maserati Ghibli, cannot
wait to sell my F-150 and Mercedes SUV and have a Model S and Model X in the garage.
 
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Porsche chief Matthias Mueller said "where we have to follow up now.” Meaning we are behind and we need to catch up now. I do believe they have receive reports of customers deciding for Tesla over 911 or so. I don't know if I'm the only one however a year a ago I used to look up at 911 or BMW M3 or AMG mercs. For me they were the best cars. Now I don't feel that way anymore. In my head today I see them as good cars with old tech fossil fuel drive trains. I just can't get around the fossil fuel drive train making me not desire them like I used too. I would love to know if this has happened to you? Also Did anybody decide to buy a Tesla over a Porsche/AMG/m3? And if so why?

Yes, I feel like you do. I would very much like to have only electric cars, but the second car after the Model S is tricky for me to figure out (until a Model 3 comes out). I look forward to never putting fossil fuel in a car again in my life (I grew up in a family that ran gas stations, so beside my own cars, I have filled hundreds of cars with gas). And I never looked at those other expensive cars--too expensive for me. The "extra" expense (over, say $45,000) was worth it in getting an MS, a superb EV.
 
Porsche chief Matthias Mueller said "where we have to follow up now.” Meaning we are behind and we need to catch up now. I do believe they have receive reports of customers deciding for Tesla over 911 or so. I don't know if I'm the only one however a year a ago I used to look up at 911 or BMW M3 or AMG mercs. For me they were the best cars. Now I don't feel that way anymore. In my head today I see them as good cars with old tech fossil fuel drive trains. I just can't get around the fossil fuel drive train making me not desire them like I used too. I would love to know if this has happened to you? Also Did anybody decide to buy a Tesla over a Porsche/AMG/m3? And if so why?

I'll be going from Porsche to Tesla. I've had my car 17 years, and wouldn't trade it away lightly, but I think the page is turning on internal combustion cars. It will be decades until they are gone, but people will look back at this as the decade that started it, and Tesla as the company that lit the match.
 
... is turning on internal combustion cars. ... and Tesla as the company that lit the match.

I see what you did there ;)

Porsche has surely felt the impact of Tesla on the sales of atleast the Panamera.

Hope the VW umbrella as a whole moves to EVs in a concerted way; they are capable if they have the will. I love our e-Golf almost as much as I do our Model S.
 
I see what you did there ;)

Porsche has surely felt the impact of Tesla on the sales of atleast the Panamera.

Hope the VW umbrella as a whole moves to EVs in a concerted way; they are capable if they have the will. I love our e-Golf almost as much as I do our Model S.

Would love to think about an e-Golf, but they are only available in 11 or 12 areas, and not near me... Alas...
 
The German manufactures are starting to notice. So BEV virus is definitely spreading. It seems once your infected your infected for life as BEV owners don't ever want to go back. It even got me and I'm a petrol head. I believe once the model 3 production ramps up to several 100000s a year the virus will turn into a plague with the oil companies trying to contain it. When a new superior battery gets commercialized then it will be the extinction of internal combustion engine and the page will be truly turned. Hydrogen seems to be losing already and I believe it will become the steam engine of the 21st century. The matter of a fact that people are getting out of Porsches and not looking back talks for it self. The manufactures that start late with manufacturing BEVs should think of Nokia!!!