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by pmorici 1897 days ago
Taycan is not price competitive with Model S and won’t be performance competitive when the S plaid ships this quarter.
2 comments

Supercar brands have never been about being price-competitive (in some cases, they are even Veblen Goods). Very few people cross-shop Ferraris and Hondas.

I look forward to seeing the new Tesla's Nürburgring-Nordschleife time. The progress that performance EVs are making is impressive.

No doubt but they derive much of their prestige from their performance reputation which is why you see them marketing the Taycan’s 0-60 repeatability. As things progress the marketing department will increasingly struggle to come up with reasons why the electric incarnation of the brand lives up to its historical position as a prestigious good.
Maybe true for Ferrari, but Porsche's reputations isn't come from just 0-60.
The new Corvette is as fast as the 911 for half the price but that's not stopping people from buying 911s
Another data point: Tesla Model 3 Performance version will go 0-60 in 3.1 seconds (not quite as fast as the Corvette's 2.9) for $52k; about $10k less than the Corvette.
Just a small correction, Model 3 performance starts at $56k. I don't like that Tesla lists price with $4.3k in "fuel savings" subtracted out, we have to call them out on that.
Comparing something closer, the Model 3 Performance is significantly cheaper than the BMW M3.

I recall the old (pre2021 facelift) Model 3 Performance either beat or performed very competitively to its various petrol competitors (M3, C63, RS5, Guilia QF, etc.) while being significantly less expensive.

Would be interesting how the facelifted Model 3 Performance fares against the new hog-nose G80 BMW M3/4. Or the upcoming 4cylinder+electricmotor C63AMG.

Now people complain that the Model 3 doesn't have the "soul" to be a true driver's car of course.

Good point. I forgot to click the "actual price" button.