Tesla’s new cut-price EVs: A $39,990 Model Y and $36,990 Model 3

A smaller battery and less standard equipment cuts prices, but not by enough.

See full article...

 

[sjl]

What comes first, FSD, or Year of the Linux Desktop?

Year of the Linux Desktop. No two ways about it. That one, at least, has a plausible path towards reality. FSD, on the other hand, is doomed to be vaporware (in the context of the original promises, rather than the watered down "this is what we can actually achieve" version they're trying to claim it always was) until such time as either Musk kicks the bucket (may it happen soon), or is ousted from the company (slightly less preferable, but if it leaves him bankrupt I'd be okay with that outcome.)

Note that I said "plausible path", not "likely path". But plausible is still light years ahead of what Tesla has in the FSD space.

 

[sjl]

Camry fits; nicer trims of the hybrid Camry top the price of the new 3.

Not in Australia, it doesn't.

The most expensive Camry SL I can find is $AU59,867 (driveaway pricing). The cheapest Model 3 - rear-wheel drive with white paint - is $AU60,205 (driveaway pricing, same state, so comparing apples to apples in that respect.)

It's possible that the "new 3" isn't available in Australia yet. But I will say that, given the choice between any Model 3 or the Camry SL, I would absolutely choose the Camry without hesitation. It's a better car in almost every respect; the only advantage the Model 3 has is the power source. Which, I won't deny, is not insignificant - but frankly, if you're talking pure electric vehicles, for the price of the Model 3, I'd much rather get the Kia EV3. Long range EV3 starts at $AU56,490, driveaway pricing. (There are probably other EVs on the market that are viable alternatives at similar pricing, that's just the one I found in a very quick check.)

 

[sjl]

It’s as Car and Driver said in the subheading of my link in an earlier comment (downvoted as ever): “A three-decibel reduction at 70 mph is unheard of for a facelifted vehicle”.

Same goes for the suspension overhaul. Most cars go their whole life without significant suspension changes, the typical mods being spring rate for weight increase (oh, Teslas get lighter BTW – and they’re much lighter than competitors, one reason for their efficiency).

You write all of that, and you think (and assert), "Look at how much work Tesla has put into improving their vehicles!"

I read all of that, and think, "Just how fucking bad was the design in the first instance that they had that much room to improve?"

When I sold my Model 3, I had a roadworthy inspection done. (This is a mandatory part of any car sale in the state of Victoria, to show that the car is safe and fit to drive on the roads.) The guy who did the inspection commented to me that - and I quote - "The suspension is rather basic." Yes. Yes, it is. Or was. Maybe they did improve it. But seriously: to make such a big reduction in noise, and a big improvement in the suspension, speaks volumes about just how bad the original design was - and it raises serious questions about how bad the current design is in areas that they aren't talking about.

But then, we already have some pretty strong data points, like their move away from steering wheel stalks to capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheels for things like turn signals, which is a huge user experience fail.