[woodruffw]

I know very little about cars, but a cursory search shows that both the Model 3 and Model Y are about ~60% more expensive than the top-selling sedans and SUVs in the US. They're also both in the same rough ballpark as popular "luxury" car labels (Lincoln, BMW), so I think "luxury" is a fair descriptor.

[andrepew]

I don’t think comparing a Tesla’s price to an ICE competitor is an apples to apples comparison.

Sure on the surface a Model 3 price tag looks luxury, but look at full cost of ownership and things start looking downright reasonable. No mandatory scheduled maintenance, no gas costs — charging the thing at home is laughably cheap, brake pads last in to the 100-200k kilometre range thanks to regenerative braking. Don’t forget all the subsidies too against the purchase price.

If you drive a lot, the numbers start getting awfully close to non-luxury vehicles.

And all of this is before you consider the non-monetary drivers of value such as how fun it is to drive, tech gadgets, etc.

[woodruffw]

I think you're absolutely right: amortized, driving a Tesla for a decade is probably cheaper than driving a brand new luxury sedan. But I don't think that's incompatible with Tesla being a luxury brand: many (although) not all luxury brands advertise themselves through their amortized savings or durability. Put another way: a product's longevity is frequently a selling point for a luxury label, even if longevity itself isn't a guarantee of luxury.

The same is apparent in clothing: I have an expensive, recognizable jacket that I expect to last for the rest of my life. It's undeniably a luxury item, because it costs several times more than even a premium, high-quality jacket would. But it'll probably save me money over the next 60 years, since I won't buy half a dozen merely nice jackets instead.