I don't doubt you are right as I saw plenty of station wagons in Germany when I was there. How well do the A7 or CLS sell in Germany then? If few people buy those cars then I understand but if they sell well I would think the Model S at least has a potential market.
They do sell, but not in large numbers. In April, 262 Audi A7/S7/RS7 were newly registered versus 354 CLS. For comparison, there were 3,606 new registrations of A6/S6/RS6, 3,642 5-series and 3,472 E-class models. The ratio of sedans to station wagons is roughly 50:50, with some models (especially the aformentioned highpower diesels) even 35:65 in favor of station wagons.
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Yes it's 7 cm longer bumper to bumper. But passenger compartment width is smaller than BMW 5-series. I guess Mercedes E is even bigger.
Storage wise it's bigger thanks to the frunk unless you compare with Mercedes E as a station wagon which is huge.
Quicker acceleration? We don't care that much... Top speed? Ehm no.
If there were a S85- with 85KWh battery, less hp, cheaper price I would have gone for that.
Norway and other countries with a special tax on new vehicles are a little bit special. In countries without that like Germany it's a different story.
Anyway, the comparison with the M5 is irrelevant as I've already tried to point out.
Yes. But those buyers want luxury. The Model S does not provide that.
+1 That sums it up nicely. And it goes to show that it is not just a German mindset. I would argue that apart from the top speed argument, all the points that Germans might find lacking in Model S, Britons, Swedes etc. would agree on too. I don't know about the French though ;-)
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I think you are missing the point. Model S is a much bigger car than those mid sizers.
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Any European comparing Models S to much smaller slower cars is making the wrong comparison.
As matbl correctly said, Model S of course is larger on the outside, but the usable interior space is not larger than an A6 or E-class, especially the (over here) very popular station wagons. Try transporting a washing machine (or any other cargo of comparable size) in a Model S. Not really possible (not even with the rear seats folded down, thanks to the sloping roofline). E-class T-model, A6 Avant, even 5-series touring, no problem at all. I just tried to imagine a typical trip to the DIY center in our VW Touran or an A6 (etc.) station wagon vs. the same trip in a Model S. Sure, I would never get to the store as fast (and stylish) in our car as in Model S, but as soon as I wanted to load my stuff into the Model S, I would have to admit defeat...
And while I loved my test drive of the P85, when I tried to sit in the back it didn't feel comfortable at all. I banged my head on the rear end of the pano roof, the seats were more uncomfortable than in a 20K Skoda and as soon as you close the door you feel quite cramped there. Of course you can argue "how often do you get to sit in the back?", and you would be right. But a car should be spacious and comfortable to all passengers, not just those in the front.
So an A6, E-class, 5-series much smaller? Not really. At least not inside, which is where it matters.
And slower? Only off the line (which people over here don't care so much about in general), not over the distance.
For comparison, take the A6 Avant 2.0 TDI ultra (190 hp, base price 44.5K Euro): it has 8.5 seconds 0 to 62 mph, 140 mph topspeed, a medium fuel efficiency of around 50 miles to the gallon, which means a realistic medium range of between 800 and 900 miles per tank!
Just try to understand, we don't dislike what Model S has to offer. It's just that some things that make cars of such size/price sell well over here are missing in Model S and hindering it from becoming a hit at the moment. Especially the extremely high performance of the Model S is something I never quite understood, because sportscar performance is not the main thing that people looking for an EV are interested in. Sure it's a nice bonus, but think how Model S would sell if it "only" did 0 - 60 in 8 or 9 seconds (which is still plenty fast), but had a
usable range of 350 or 400 miles. I would dare say that at the same price point it would outsell CLS's and A7's already.