now that the ER is out and SP is stabilized (actually goes up from 145 to 150), I feel a little bit relaxed to post. I personally think that the $25,000 vehicle is not a very good idea, at least using current technology (i.e., battery).
1. For $25,000, the performance of the car will be much lower than Model 3 RW, and mostly importantly, use a small battery and thus a very low range.
2. For some reason Chinese car makers are already able to sell cars in that range, or even lower. I don't see Tesla can take any advantage on that segment (in China) Many Chinese investors are yelling that sell cheap car in China only lower the brand name and image.
3. The initial capital expense is large, but the margin is low.
4. I just learned that even Toyota Corolla SE cost $28000 in Bay Area, CA. If Tesla keep improving the cost of model 3 and can have a 10-ish% margin to sell it at $30000, Model 3 along will be able to dominate the market. I wonder is it possible.