anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
Wow, I had a busy day and didn't get to check out all the new options until just now.
My observations:
1) It seems like Tesla is trying to encourage most customers to buy the Dual Motor vehicles. Making Dual Motor standard on the least expensive Model S is a pretty big move.
2) Making many of the old "Tech Package" features standard, while separating out the "Autopilot" stuff makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint. It's simpler to build all cars with substantially similar hardware, and have buyers pay for the software unlocks (in this case, the Autopilot features).
3) Tesla screwed up the Premium Package. A 5 grand package is required for a power lift gate? Wtf. The premium package is almost all aesthetic stuff, while the lift gate is a real functional necessity for some people. Also, Tesla says the Premium Package means better interior materials, but doesn't say exactly what is better. This lack of specificity is dumb. As a lifelong Honda driver, this is the kind of thing I would expect from Honda, not Tesla (Honda has a nasty habit of requiring customers to upgrade to a trim level to get a useful feature, and the trim level upgrade often comes with a ton of useless stuff).
4) Love the new colors!
5) Overall I'm glad the S60 has been retired. The 70D will provide a better highway travel experience and handle better on local roads.
6) Put the "cash price" on top. If I'm buying a car I want to know what I'm paying out initially. It's ok to list estimated fuel and tax savings, but put those as deductions UNDER the cash price.
So for example:
$84,500 Upfront Cash Price + $1200 Destination/regulatory/document
- $7500 Federal Tax Credit
- $XYZ State Credit <select state>
- $ABC fuel credit <gallons used per year> * <price per gallon>
Overall this is a nice upgrade for the baseline product, but I hope Tesla re-evaluates the Premium Package and the way the pricing is presented.
My observations:
1) It seems like Tesla is trying to encourage most customers to buy the Dual Motor vehicles. Making Dual Motor standard on the least expensive Model S is a pretty big move.
2) Making many of the old "Tech Package" features standard, while separating out the "Autopilot" stuff makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint. It's simpler to build all cars with substantially similar hardware, and have buyers pay for the software unlocks (in this case, the Autopilot features).
3) Tesla screwed up the Premium Package. A 5 grand package is required for a power lift gate? Wtf. The premium package is almost all aesthetic stuff, while the lift gate is a real functional necessity for some people. Also, Tesla says the Premium Package means better interior materials, but doesn't say exactly what is better. This lack of specificity is dumb. As a lifelong Honda driver, this is the kind of thing I would expect from Honda, not Tesla (Honda has a nasty habit of requiring customers to upgrade to a trim level to get a useful feature, and the trim level upgrade often comes with a ton of useless stuff).
4) Love the new colors!
5) Overall I'm glad the S60 has been retired. The 70D will provide a better highway travel experience and handle better on local roads.
6) Put the "cash price" on top. If I'm buying a car I want to know what I'm paying out initially. It's ok to list estimated fuel and tax savings, but put those as deductions UNDER the cash price.
So for example:
$84,500 Upfront Cash Price + $1200 Destination/regulatory/document
- $7500 Federal Tax Credit
- $XYZ State Credit <select state>
- $ABC fuel credit <gallons used per year> * <price per gallon>
Overall this is a nice upgrade for the baseline product, but I hope Tesla re-evaluates the Premium Package and the way the pricing is presented.