Leather option: How much is leather?

[qwk]

Mod note: Posts moved from Wheel Performance/Pricing discussion thread.

Another unconfirmed interior rumor is that if you get the non sig/performance car, and buy the leather option, the padding on the door panels and a few other places will be microfiber. If that is the case, Tesla will look like amateurs, because someone who upgrades to leather and gets microfiber thrown in a few other places is going to have a ghetto "pimp my ride" car. This is only a rumor, and I hope it's not true. That would be a BIG mistake. Very few people, including myself, that order leather on a possible $90k car want microfiber thrown in there sporadically.

[swegman]

My understanding, from my sales rep, is that the production performance model will have leather on the lower dash and on the door panels (just like the signature performance model), but that the production non-performance model will not, even with the leather seating option. Note that with the production signature model, you are paying for 21 inch rims/tires and get no credit for downgrading to 19 inch tires/rims, just like with the signature performance model.

[Warrenbonz]

I am also leaning towards a performance with 19 inch rims. Aside from the various reasons mentioned in this thread for choosing the 19's I happened to think the 19 inch rims are really nice. I want to see them on a Model S next to a Model S with 21's before making a final decision.

I think Tesla's current stated policy of not offering a credit for the downgrade is a big mistake and that Tesla will change the policy. The excitement of Tesla car owners / prospective owners is a Huge asset to Tesla and to diminish this excitement with a tire/rim policy that many feel is unfair (myself included) would be very shortsighted and foolish in my view. Tesla is too smart to take this excitement for granted. Once gone it will likely never return to it's previous levels.

On another note, I was told by a Tesla employee recently that there is no difference in the interior of a signature performance and a regular performance (aside from badging and the choice of grey for non sig. and white/cream for sig.).

[swegman]

According to my sales rep, the interior of the production performance model and the signature performance model are the same, but for the signature badging. The difference is with respect to the non-performasnce production model. Even if leather is ordered on the non-performance production model, it is a lesser quality leather, and is not provided on the lower dash and door panels. Thus, it is not a simple answer to say order the non-performance production model and add options if you do not want the 21 inch rims/tires. One can add all the listed options (300 mile battery, tech package, upgraded stereo, air suspension, etc.), raising the car price to the $80K range, but you will still have an inferior interior in comparison to the other models.

BTW, my sales rep also indicated that the 21 inch/tires WILL result in a reduced driving range. Actual tests had not been performed at the time he told me this, but said I should anticipate a 5% reduction in driving range. I want to maximize the driving range of the car, not reduce it.

I also spoke to a sales rep that works in the New York area and he told me he has advised all his customers to go with the 19 inch tires due to road conditions in the New York/New Jersey/Conneticut tri-state area, which is his coverage area.

If Tesla does not wish to give a credit for downgrading the tires/rims, they should consider offering upgrades to the non-performance production model so you can obtain the same interior (i.e., leather on lower dash, door panels, upgraded leather seats, etc.) as on the other models. ut doing that will complicate their production line. The simplest solution is to offer a credit for a tire/rim downgrade or change the pricing so that all models come standard with the 19 inch rims/tires and let the customer decide if he/she wishes to upgrade to the 21 inch tires/rims, just like they have done with the roof top.

[neroden]

Another unconfirmed interior rumor is that if you get the non sig/performance car, and buy the leather option, the padding on the door panels and a few other places will be microfiber. If that is the case, Tesla will look like amateurs, because someone who upgrades to leather and gets microfiber thrown in a few other places is going to have a ghetto "pimp my ride" car. This is only a rumor, and I hope it's not true. That would be a BIG mistake. Very few people, including myself, that order leather on a possible $90k car want microfiber thrown in there sporadically.

This is not unconfirmed. This is confirmed direct from Tesla to me.

If you get the "leather SEATS" option on the Standard, you will get leather SEATS. The rest of the interior will be pretty much the same as the cloth-interior Standard. This actually makes sense from a production line point of view as it vastly simplifies the interior trim production line. This is the difference between "leather" and "extensive leather throughout".

Of course, they could have changed their mind since then, but that was the decision at the time I requested clarification several months ago.

[spatterso911]

Makes perfect sense. BMW has done that for years. There is leather, then there is extended leather.

[swegman]

The production performance model has the same interior as the signature performance model, but for the badging, according to my sales rep. Note that options and pricing page for both the production performance model and signature performance model state "Nappa Leather STANDARD
Nappa leather seats with contrast piping and Alcantara bolsters. Extensive leather throughout. 12-way power adjustable, heated seats."

This is not true of the non-performance (i.e., regular) production model. The non-performance production model will have fabric and simulated leather. Only the seats will be leather if you buy the leather seating option.

[qwk]

Makes perfect sense. BMW has done that for years. There is leather, then there is extended leather.

BMW has mixed cloth and leather interiors? I have never seen this, even a lowly Ford has leather look alike stuff instead of fabric.

[spatterso911]

BMW has mixed cloth and leather interiors? I have never seen this, even a lowly Ford has leather look alike stuff instead of fabric.

Not a mix of cloth and leather, but fake (pleatherette) and real leather for the "Leather" interiors, and full dash leather, lower panel leather and setback and full door leather on the "extended leather" choices.

[qwk]

Not a mix of cloth and leather, but fake (pleatherette) and real leather for the "Leather" interiors, and full dash leather, lower panel leather and setback and full door leather on the "extended leather" choices.

That's very different from a microfiber/leather mix proposed in the Model S.