- Tesla has unveiled 'Standard' versions of the Model 3 and Model Y
- Many features have been stripped away to cut costs
- The company hopes value propositions will help boost sales
Tesla released a number of social media teaser videos earlier this week suggesting that the world would soon be treated to affordable new models – and now, they have arrived.
However, rather than present the much-hyped $25,000 'Model 2' or an entirely new budget proposition, Tesla has done what a large swathe of the internet predicted and stripped features away from best-selling vehicles in its current line-up in order to drive the price down.
Both the latest Model 3 and Model Y now come in a 'Standard' configuration in the US, which will kick-start the range with a base price of $36,990 (which converts to about £27,500 / AU$56,000 and $39,990 (around £30,000 / AU$60,000) respectively.
These cheaper, rear-wheel drive options now sit beneath the 'Premium' and 'Performance' trim variants, but customers have to put up with a lot of compromise in order to save a few bucks.
On the outside, Tesla has done away with the recently-introduced full-width light bar, both at the front and rear, while smaller 18-inch wheels with a very basic design and simplified bumpers make both Model 3 and Model Y look more homogenous than ever.
Almost every conceivable Tesla highlight has been stripped away or downgraded in some way, with things like ambient lighting, leather seats, passenger entertainment screens and electrically-adjustable seats and HVAC vents tossed in the trash.
The audio system has been downgraded so it has fewer speakers, FM/AM radio has gone and the HEPA filter and Tesla’s rather silly 'Bioweapon Defense Mode' has also disappeared, leaving occupants with allergies potentially open to massive sneezing fits in the summer.
Anything with an additional electric motor, like power-operated wing mirrors and rear passenger seats, has been traded for manual adjustment and even the suspension has been downgraded to basic passive shock absorbers.
It’s a very simple package that also offers less impressive performance figures and a decreased estimated range in both the Model 3 and Model Y thanks to a smaller battery pack, with both managing an EPA-estimated 321 miles – down by around 40 models in the RWD Premium variants.
Tesla says it has done away with a physical key (or an NFC card, in this case), leaving locking and unlocking the car down to a smartphone.
Still, some electronic luxuries remain, with the Trip Planner with real-time Supercharger availability, Remote Climate Control, Sentry Mode, Dog Mode and a plethora of screen-based games and entertainment all still existing.
Analysis: Not the bargain of the century
Tesla hopes that the Standard versions of its two most popular cars will help buoy flagging sales, but currently claims that these cheaper models will only be available to customers in the US for now.
It comes at a time when the US federal EV tax credit is being cut, generally making electric vehicles more expensive for everyone. But, the Standard models are actually now more expensive than the former base level cars due to this fact – despite the huge reduction in premium features.
In short, North American customers are getting a bum deal.
There are industry insiders that believe this is simply a clever pricing trick from Tesla, with basic models only serving to convince customers to part with the extra cash to 'unlock' those added features that once came as standard.
Although stripping back vehicles to bring the cost down is nothing new in the auto industry, the biggest issue here is the major step back in overall finish that Standard customers will have to make, seeing as I felt the recent facelift of Model 3 and Model Y corrected some of Tesla’s previous shortcomings.
The thought of basic suspension systems and a panoramic glass roof that has haphazardly been covered in a fabric liner (see Standard Model Y for reference) gives me flashbacks of Tesla’s 'manufacturing hell' era, where it was badly finishing cars in a makeshift tent in the parking lot.
The company is clearly way beyond that stage now, but its stagnation in releasing all-new models and exciting innovations makes it feel like a company that has run out of ideas. The Cybertruck was its most recent 'game-changing' product but it has changed nothing and is heading towards becoming an all-time flop.
Plus, the optics of stripping back its most technologically-advanced cars in pursuit of passing on some savings to the customer feels at odds with a company that is (or was once) at the bleeding-edge.
There’s no word on whether the Standard Model 3 and Model Y will make it beyond US shores, but even with the suggested discounting, Tesla will struggle to match the value propositions now offered by the established EV sector and emerging Chinese brands in Europe and beyond.
The likes of BYD, Xpeng and Jaecoo or Omoda can easily match Musk on pricing but offer every conceivable gadget, gizmo and nicety going, making the decision to opt for an increasingly backward-looking Tesla vehicle even more difficult.
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