New Body Style

[Chuck P85D]

In the $100K plus market for cars, customers are not wanting a dated body

"dated body"?!?!?!?

you do realize most of us (non californians) CONSTANTLY have people coming up to us asking what kind of car it is, they have never seen it before?

you do realize that Porsche keeps their 911 body style for 8 years. Range Rover for 10 years.

the D is "a patch" you say? well... "d*mn good patch" is what I say.

 

[majorlance]

Mercedes S and E class receive new designs every seven years, more or less. Doesn't mean that meaningful updates don't come out mid-cycle but the design cycle for completely new styles from Mercedes (and most likely Audi, BMW) is about seven years.

For better or worse, I think that many of the traditional high end auto design and business practices still apply to Tesla. This includes design cycles, trade-ins and upgrades. It seems like the only things different with Tesla is it doesn't use model years. Which is a blessing and sometimes a curse (ask anyone who received an early September, 2014 delivery without the new autopilot sensors).

That said, I'm really excited about my December delivery of a P85D! Just need to go into it with eyes wide open...

 

[Half Dollar Bill]

Is it time to point out that there are only 50K cars on the road? I just don't think it's practical to invest in a style update.
Then consider spare parts necessary for what would become the "old" style. Multiple body styles would increase inventory complexity.

 

[mdevp]

I'd very much like to see a revision that gave a bit more rear seat room/comfort. I don't think the current version is really in keeping with a car costing $80k-$100k

I too wonder about this b/c a number of my friends who are interested in the MS, many former merc/bmw owners, say it doesn't have the "look" of a 100k car. They live in different states and are not as tech savy, so I can't show them what the MS is all about. So I wonder how many potential customers might have the same initial impression of the MS and not order one, just based on what they feel is a "dated" look for a high end car.

 

[rocketdallas]

I suppose looks are subjective, but I believe the absolute terrific proportions of the car, clean and sharp and un-fussy details, and technical and performance characteristics definitely justify the Model S in the upper price range market in line with other top of line vehicles (S class, 7 series, etc). There are so many clean and thoughtful design points on the car.

It would make sense for Tesla to follow a 7 to 8 year cycle with a mid point light refresh to the same design as it would conserve retooling costs for production, meet existing expectations for comparable vehicles for buyers, and better preserve the value of already sold vehicles and leave customers happier with their present purchases.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Tech not fashion.

Of course Tesla will be updating the body style in the next 2-3 years. They are not immune to people getting bored and they, just like any other car company, need to do that in order to stimulate sales. If you think Tesla launched D just because of tech and that it had nothing to do with softening domestic sales, I have a bridge to sell you. It also portends a delay in Model X. Mark my words...

 

[AmpedRealtor]

AND I was right... Model X was delayed to Q3 2015. At this rate, Model 3 might beat it to market. It's nice to be right about something once in a while!

Tesla pushes Model X launch to third quarter of 2015 | The Verge

 

[majorlance]

AND I was right... Model X was delayed to Q3 2015. At this rate, Model 3 might beat it to market. It's nice to be right about something once in a while!

Tesla pushes Model X launch to third quarter of 2015 | The Verge

Nice call! Stock is up in after hours trading... not certain why.

 

[Blu Zap]

A couple of things. No model years and ongoing demand. They don't need to change the MS body style to increase sales. They are backlogged. As we see production retooling is focused on the new models and additions to the current MS. The current body is right in style. Following the other cars in this category, i.e. Audi, BMW, MB it would be 5 - 7 years, if then.