Quote:
Originally Posted by cc3
Tesla selling twice as many model S. Nissan selling 40% more of the leaf
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Nobody in their right mind should compare the Tesla to an i3. Given the fact that the Leaf has been around for years, people are more aware of them, and it doesn't seem weird that they sell more, then, take the price point - not everyone wants to spend the money for the luxury features. It took Tesla a bit of time to build up volume, too. If you follow the i3 forums, you'd notice people coming off lease or ready to replace their Leafs are moving to the i3.
The money spent on developing CFRP materials is not exclusive to the i3...every new BMW in the development cycle will be using some of it, and the engineering company that deconstructed the i3 at a cost of over $2M to study the engineering, says that BMW is definitely making money at their current sales volume and pricing. They liken it to the advent of the Model T - it will change the way cars are built. Everyone else is way behind. Whether you like it or not, the world and the industry is moving towards higher efficiency, and any research that gives a leg up in that (lighter, more flexible methodology, safer) is going to differentiate BMW in the field. By around 2020, every BMW model will either be all or optional as a hybrid...it's the only way to maintain performance and meet the CAFE requirements here in the USA and in Europe.