[The Automotive Enthusiast]

Tesla is selling every Model 3 it can screw together. Astonishingly, it's selling so many of them that the Model 3 outsold every BMW passenger car combined. We should note that BMW still leads if you include SUV sales, but beating the Germans at passenger cars is no small feat.

Here's the number breakdown: BMW sold 14,450 passenger cars in the U.S. market in August. This number includes sales from compact crossovers like the X1 and X2 as well. That's a 13.5 percent decrease in car sales from August 2017. Car sales tracking site GoodCarBadCar lists Model 3 sales at 20,450 for the month of August. However, that's only an estimate because Tesla doesn't report official sales numbers. Other news outlets have estimated figures in the 17,000 range. And Bloomberg's Tesla Tracker site puts the current production level of the Model 3 at 4,800 cars per week. But any of the estimates are safely above BMW's exact figure. The BMW 3 Series (the Model 3's direct competitor) sold only 3,751 cars in August.

Lexus led the luxury vehicle segment, but its big winners were crossovers. From the start of the year, BMW is up compared to 2017 because of its SUVs as well. Tesla certainly isn't experiencing the same drop in car interest after this surprising month of sales. As for the BMW i3, it sold all of 418 cars last month. The company's only pure EV will be eclipsed by the new generation of electrics that BMW has in the works.

Selling this many Model 3s isn't particularly surprising given the 420,000 reservations remaining as of July. It's unlikely that all those turn into orders, but it explains why sales are so ludicrous at the moment. And In a week when the Mercedes EQC electric crossover was revealed and BMW is almost ready to show its Vision iNext concept, Tesla is starting to hear hoofbeats from competitors and needs to sell Model 3s as fast as it can.

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/09/06/...usauto00000016

[Soterios]

Which is even more crazy considering they're selling faster than they can produce them.

[justinnum1]

are they still completing preorders?

[PshhhhhMW]

Lol what's the point? Tesla 3 is the shiny new thing.

[mkoesel]

And Ford sold more F Series than all of BMW and Tesla combined.

https://www.tfltruck.com/2018/09/pic...t-2018-report/

Apples to oranges? Yes and no. For example, the average price of a Super Duty - which is an F250 and above - is over $50K.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmcc...icans-be-wrong

Sure, no doubt the average price of an F Series (including F150) is still below the average price of a BMW, and certainly below the average price of a Tesla. But the point is, well, gas guzzling trucks basically print money. And secondarily, while the industry debates who is selling more luxury vehicles, Ford is quietly outselling all of them (and has been for some time, and is only growing its lead) if we use transaction price as a metric for what qualifies as a luxury vehicle.

[Arcades]

Not to mention Tesla can't deliver the 3 as fast as it is being ordered. This will forever be a problem that won't be an issue for European brands that won't also have quality control problems.

I just met a friend of mine who was one of the very first pre-order for the Model 3, JUST got his now. How long did Tesla take to deliver a car to him that and he was one of the first to put down a order?

I don't hate Tesla, I just wish these websites stop doing what traditional media does, pick and choose their facts to push things out in their view. It's annoying as hell.

[vladberca]

I don't like the model 3 at all.
Is Tesla considered a premium manufacturer?
By the price or by the quality of the products?

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by vladberca

Is Tesla considered a premium manufacturer?
By the price or by the quality of the products?

Transaction price is really the only reasonable way to quantify it. Quality is subjective and not measurable in a standardized way. There was a time when a Jaguar could hardly be considered a quality product, but it was no doubt a luxury product nevertheless.

[EricSMG]

Coworker just got is 3D this week, took 3 years. Pretty cool car in person. Does 0-6 in like 3.1 or some crazy shit like that. Yikes.

[Germanauto]

I don't understand why the media loves making these comparisons.

Teslas and BMWs are purchased by different clientele. Sure there is cross shopping but generally the people who want a Tesla won't consider anything else. They are a cult for a reason.

[Run Silent]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

I don't understand why the media loves making these comparisons.

Teslas and BMWs are purchased by different clientele. Sure there is cross shopping but generally the people who want a Tesla won't consider anything else. They are a cult for a reason.

Well I don't agree with that at all. I love the Tesla and I own a 3 series. There is a very high chance that my next car will be a CPO Model 3. So I am the perfect example of someone who is cross shopping and also buys other cars and considers other cars besides Tesla.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

I don't understand why the media loves making these comparisons.

Teslas and BMWs are purchased by different clientele. Sure there is cross shopping but generally the people who want a Tesla won't consider anything else. They are a cult for a reason.

I suspect a big part of the rationale is this:

https://www.businessinsider.com/tesl...us-leaf-2018-8

"According to Tesla, the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf, and the BMW 3 Series are the five most commonly traded."

Taking Tesla at its word for the sake of argument, it is particularly revealing especially when you look at the contrast against the other types of vehicles in the list. And honestly, this does not surprise me at all based on what I know anecdotally about the typical BMW owner. And yes, I include myself in that group.

[Darth One]

so the article already acknowledges why its lead is misleading - Tesla's sales are crazy because they are racing to fill preorders - yet, they do the misleading headline anyway. typical media behavior since the dawn of the media industry.

[El Wray]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

I don't understand why the media loves making these comparisons.

Teslas and BMWs are purchased by different clientele. Sure there is cross shopping but generally the people who want a Tesla won't consider anything else. They are a cult for a reason.

It's a direct competitor to any entry level luxury car. The typical uneducated 3 series/X1/X3 shopper really just cares about the badge and nav. They're perfectly happy paying the least amount possible for a base config as long as it has nav. The vast majority don't care to research trim levels and options. The same type is also reluctant to buy/lease econoboxes like Leafs and Prius. In these specific cases the Model 3 is right up their alley. Tesla's 3 sales volume is just going to keep growing until more mid-dollar range EV options become available.

[NickyC]

I think a question becoming more suitable by the day is whether or not this company will even be around in a few short years? I don't trust anything, certainly not any numbers that come out of this company. They can't even keep a Chief Accounting Officer around for more than a month now.

[pikkagtr]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

And Ford sold more F Series than all of BMW and Tesla combined.

https://www.tfltruck.com/2018/09/pic...t-2018-report/

Apples to oranges? Yes and no. For example, the average price of a Super Duty - which is an F250 and above - is over $50K.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmcc...icans-be-wrong

Sure, no doubt the average price of an F Series (including F150) is still below the average price of a BMW, and certainly below the average price of a Tesla. But the point is, well, gas guzzling trucks basically print money. And secondarily, while the industry debates who is selling more luxury vehicles, Ford is quietly outselling all of them (and has been for some time, and is only growing its lead) if we use transaction price as a metric for what qualifies as a luxury vehicle.

Stop bringing logic and facts into this argument
Tsla stock is at an all time high you know....erm wait

[10"]

Originally Posted by NickyC

I think a question becoming more suitable by the day is whether or not this company will even be around in a few short years? I don't trust anything, certainly not any numbers that come out of this company. They can't even keep a Chief Accounting Officer around for more than a month now.

Yep. Tesla will be gone in a few years....stock has sank 30-40% in the past month. Their financials are a mess. Their CEO is a rambling ape.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by NickyC

I think a question becoming more suitable by the day is whether or not this company will even be around in a few short years? I don't trust anything, certainly not any numbers that come out of this company. They can't even keep a Chief Accounting Officer around for more than a month now.

The company itself may very well not be around long term, but the brand, IP, and assets will live on because they are quite valuable. What that means for long term support of products sold prior to such a time is indeed something of an unknown. However, in all likelihood, existing owners will not be left high and dry because that would damage the brand. That said, it is reason to give pause when considering a purchase today.

[RichM50d]

Originally Posted by NickyC

I think a question becoming more suitable by the day is whether or not this company will even be around in a few short years? I don't trust anything, certainly not any numbers that come out of this company. They can't even keep a Chief Accounting Officer around for more than a month now.

Spot on. I wouldn’t spend my own money on a Tesla.

[enjoythemusic]

Not a fan of their cars, yet shorting TSLA stock has paid dividends

Love their business model, look at their P/E ratio and outstanding obligations. Reminds me of an early projection TV manufacturer, they lost money on every unit sold, but they made up for it in volume.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by RichM50d

Spot on. I wouldn’t spend my own money on a Tesla.

Me neither right now. I think that in the long term Tesla will serve as a catalyst. The history of the automobile is littered with companies that couldn't survive. I'm rooting for Tesla, but they've got a big mountain to climb.