[ben_w]

> Tesla's competition still costs about 25-50% more.

You sure about that? From what I've seen, each of Tesla's models have a competitor of similar category and range that's order-of €5k cheaper.

Even with that aside, there's also the issue that Tesla doesn't have a broad range of vehicles, and there's now a lot of other competitors filling all the various niches, which means if all you want is a cheap electric city car you can get that for €17k* and don't need to start with the, what is it, €42k for a Model 3?

* For a Dacia Spring: https://www.dacia.de/nci-catalog.html?model.code=S1E&sortKey...

There is also the much cheaper Citroën Ami for just under €8k, but that's more of a car-shaped object, legally a quadricycle, but even then the point remains that it's filling in niches that Tesla doesn't: https://www.citroen.de/modelle/neuer-ami.html

[dzhiurgis]

Chinese cars in NZ cost about 5k USD less than Tesla, but you also generally get less car - slightly smaller, slightly worse specs and of course average software.

Weird exemption is Korean cars that cost far more. Go figure that out.

I agree Tesla's narrow range of options is probably THE issue. Like it or not, a lot of people's car buying is irrational. Flash looks, unrealistic range, tons of custom options, old habits (Korean EVs still ship a fricking engine start button). Tesla is the most rational car purchase out there (average looks, tons of features, tons of automation, mass produced so parts a dirt cheap). Most of rational buyers already got one.

[rsynnott]

> Weird exemption is Korean cars that cost far more. Go figure that out.

This might be an NZ trade policy thing; in Europe, Hyundai has electric cars susbstantially cheaper than the cheapest Tesla.

[ethbr1]

> Like it or not, a lot of people's car buying is irrational.

Oh, I'm reminded, every time I see a Cybertruck on the road.