The Model 3 seems like it was premature. It gets mediocre reviews ( https://www.caranddriver.com/tesla/model-3 ), they have 180,000 orders, and they're fulfilling them at about 3200 a month, i.e. 4.6 years to satisfy the current backlog. For scale, Toyota sold about 32,000 Camrys a month last year just in the US. Heck, BMW sold about 34,000 3-series a month.
Tesla should have stuck to high-end markets. It looks like their foray into mass production will end badly.
And that's where some people were predicting Tesla would stumble. There are dozens of boutique high-end car manufacturers. Ferrari, etc. Price is not really too important for buyers of those cars -- in fact it can be part of the attraction (a Veblen good).
Making "mainstream" cars targeted at middle-class buyers is an entirely different thing. Sales price is a huge factor, and at that volume saving a dollar or two on any given component is something you spend time trying to do. Optimizing the manufacturing process is also critical. Chevy and Ford and Toyota know how to do all that. Tesla doesn't, yet.
Tesla should have stuck to high-end markets. It looks like their foray into mass production will end badly.
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