It has been said repeatedly — the auto company likely to be most hurt by the Tesla Model 3 is BMW. BMW is known for sporty. Tesla does sporty better. BMW is known for innovative. Tesla does innovative better. BMW is known for premium. Tesla does premium better.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see another electric model sort of announced, but it’s also a bit tiring to see that it’s again a super unrealistic concept and the production version won’t even be unveiled for another 2 years. What’s the point? Honestly, that’s not a rhetorical question — what is the point of fluffy press releases and unrealistic images and designs so far out?
It seems BMW doesn’t get have an i5 to throw at the Tesla Model 3, but it has rolled out a slightly sportier i3 for people who just needed a little nudge to go for the compact Bimmer.
The new BMW i3S adds some power, features slightly “sportier” styling, and has more of a pitbull stance.
Afeez Damilola Alade-Kolawole, founder of Tesla Rentals and ecarTestDrives, recently took a Tesla Model S P100D to the famous Santa Pod Raceway’s Ultimate Street Car competition. It will surprise no one here to learn that the Tesla was a winner.
I compared Tesla Model 3 specs to the specs of its top gasoline-powered competitors a few weeks ago, but I didn’t provide comprehensive sales data at that time and several people requested such information. I was curious as well, so I dug it up and turned it into a couple of charts (below). Rather than just set you free with the data here, I thought I’d have a little fun here. Below is my take on why someone would buy each of these gasoline-chugging models in 2017 or 2018.
The European plug-in car market started its usual holiday season in July, down almost a third compared to the previous month (summertime = lower sales). There were some 19,600 registrations. But that is still up 41% regarding the same month last year, so the growth trend continues. Year to date, the market is up 34% this year, with the EV share now standing at a record 1.6%.
Apparently, slamming the Big 3 of Germany — Daimler, BMW, and Volkswagen — is in fashion in German politics. Or chief politicians in Germany are just fed up.
I recently compared the specs of the Tesla Model 3 to the specs of 22 gas-powered competitors that are more or less “in the Model 3’s class.” Naturally, readers also requested that we compare the Model 3 with other electric cars in such a detailed way. So here we are!
It came out yesterday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now considering bans on petrol and diesel cars — cars that use internal combustion engines (ICE). This possibility has been floated in the UK, France, India, Norway, the Netherlands, and certain German cities. However, it is a significant departure from the norm for the country’s leader, Merkel, to consider such a strong policy, and I would say that even in recent months I wouldn’t have expected it. The auto industry in Germany is just too strong and too interested in a slow transition to electric vehicles, and Merkel is much more a moderate than a revolutionary.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is cranking up the pressure on the German auto industry as it seeks to reorganize coming out of the diesel emissions scandals that shook its foundations. The strong push comes as Merkel seeks re-election and has recognized the mounting global market pressures that are coming to bear on the largely internal combustion–based German auto industry.
