Bolt. How does Tesla have orders?

"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond) 01/15/2018 at 12:00 • Filed to: None

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Tesla Model 3 will cost more than this and where will you get it fixed? This checks all boxes for a commuter / errand car. 215 miles on the interstate. And compared to the 3, you can buy one now and drive it home.

Tesla got beat to market. This can be fixed at a chevy dealer...which means in your town. What am i missing about the Tesla 3? Is there actually name cachet now?

Party-vi > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:09

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The Bolt looks like an econobox turd. The i3 is also turdly. The Volt looked like a Prius designed with a ruler. Tesla is the only company selling electric cars that look like something you want to drive.

Textured Soy Protein > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:16

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The Bolt is a perfectly rational car. Teslas are not purchased for perfectly rational reasons.

Amoore100 > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:17

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Badge, image, and, uh, this.

Yes it looks awful to us, but to the average consumer the Tesla is ooooh, ahhh

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Party-vi 01/15/2018 at 12:18

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Agreed, I am still not sold on how this is a better commuter deal than say a Honda Fit and thousands of dollars in gas.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:18

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I’m assuming the Bolt is like the Volt, in that you have to go to select dealers to have it fixed.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:25

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The problem with the Bolt is entirely the interior. It’s a GM product and the interior was designed/constructed with the same cheapness you’d expect out of all their economy cars.

If the seats were Volvo-level comfortable and the rest of the interior was at least up to Ford standards, this car would crush Tesla’s mass market ambitions.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 01/15/2018 at 12:30

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Electrics have the benefit of lasting a really long time with minimal/simple maintenance. It’s hard to compare apples:apples between them and ICE vehicles. Still, you can buy a lot of gas for the difference in vehicle cost.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Amoore100 01/15/2018 at 12:34

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And that GM interior looks like something from the 90s in materials with early 00s in design, aside from the stick thing they copied from BMW.

The Tesla doesn’t look upmarket, but it looks decent with a spartan clean design.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:38

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The bolt is a generic looking econobox. The model 3 actually looks pretty good in person. Deserved or not, Tesla also has a cool factor. Even in LA, people notice when you show up in a Model 3.

TahoeSTi > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:40

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Fanboys .... Elon’s fanboys are just like Trump supporters, they only care what the tweet said.

CompactLuxuryFan > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:42

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The bolt needed to be a good looking... anything. CUV would have been best for sales probably, but a sexy sedan body would have at least put it on even footing with the 3. Instead it’s a bland blob with an interior made out of this:

General GM cheapness is also why the Volt doesn’t sell like hotcakes, in my opinion.

Hoccy > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 12:45

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They’re not really in the same class, though?

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/15/2018 at 12:51

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Oh I agree and while my commute is perfect for a car like the bolt and we already have a family road trip car I’m not sold on the long term viability of current tech, especially at the current price point.

Wacko > Party-vi 01/15/2018 at 12:52

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the thing is, the bolt is an econobox, and it’s not pretending to be anything else.

You buy a Tesla cause you want to be seen in a Tesla. You buy a Bolt to use it as it was made to be used.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 01/15/2018 at 12:55

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I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point the simplicity of electric vehicles (after a certain critical mass is reached) begin to distinctly undercut ICE vehicles. If batteries weren’t expensive, they’d already be cheaper and have far nicer interiors...

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/15/2018 at 13:01

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As a Volvo owner I support this proposal for wide spread seat comfort.

rillweid - Now with more TRD and less TDI > Amoore100 01/15/2018 at 13:11

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I’ve actually seen one in person and the interior comes across way better than in pictures.

For Sweden > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 13:13

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You try rolling up to your local avocado toast shop in a Bolt without being ridiculed.

For Sweden > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 01/15/2018 at 13:14

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Volvo also uses buttons. Take note, Tesla.

ranwhenparked > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 13:16

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1) status: Tesla is a luxury car brand, Chevrolet is a low price brand, some people don’t want a bow tie badge on the grille. Same reason why a person chooses something like a CLA instead of, say, a loaded up Passat.

2) style: the Bolt is a crossover, the Model 3 is a sedan. Although crossovers are king now, there are still a lot of people out there than don’t want one. Really, almost half the market, which is still huge numbers, when you think about it.

ranwhenparked > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/15/2018 at 13:17

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Have you seen the interior of an Escape recently? Ford doesn’t know how to do it, either.

Gerry197 > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2018 at 13:44

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That’s the auto industry in general, people buy what they want, not what they need.

Gerry197 > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 13:47

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Probably already mentioned several times, but people who buy “premium” in terms of price don’t want a Chevy badge on it, unless it’s a Corvette or fully loaded truck or Tahoe.

Also, the Bolt looks like an econo sedan that you buy your kid for college, the Tesla 3 does not.

fintail > Party-vi 01/15/2018 at 13:50

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I don’t like eggs though, so I don’t care for Tesla design.

fintail > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/15/2018 at 13:52

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I don’t know if the Tesla “leather covered 2x4" interior ethos is really much better, especially given the price point. An S or X definitely doesn’t reflect its MSRP once you are in the car. It seems you are buying a powetrain and getting a goofy design theme and marginally passable interior for free.

deekster_caddy > Party-vi 01/15/2018 at 13:55

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Hmm. I am not a big design guy, but I’m not offended by my volt’s looks. I’m not big on the look of the Bolt but it’s not going to prevent me from buying one. To me the style of the Tesla is now associated with “I don’t mind looking wealthy”.

deekster_caddy > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 01/15/2018 at 13:59

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My Volt is showing no signs of issues after 5 years and 70K miles, it still makes me smile every day and that’s hard to do after 5 years with me. The technology is there. The charging infrastructure isn’t yet unless you are in SCal. That’s why the Volt makes sense, or a 200 mile minimum range.

RT > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 14:00

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TL;DR

Sit inside a Bolt, then sit inside a Tesla.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > deekster_caddy 01/15/2018 at 14:08

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Fair enough, charging infrastructure near me is almost nonexistent outside of local governments tossing in chargers here and there. I’d seriously consider it if the price point was a bit more reasonable, not that I have looked at what Volts are really selling for these days.

jasmits > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 14:11

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The Bolt is something that is good for you to own, the Tesla is something you want to own. A Cruze compares to a 3-Series like a Bolt compares to a Model 3. But the Cruze will comparatively sell better than the Bolt because people buy a Bolt or a Cruze as an only car whereas Model 3 buyers often have another vehicle, and an electric car still doesn’t make a great only car for most people.

bhtooefr > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 14:14

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It’s an econobox with dreadful seats (if you’re not rail thin, the plastic seat frame actually digs into you), no real high speed charging network*, and a downmarket brand.

* Yes, I’m aware that there are CCS chargers. However...

Most CCS chargers top out at 50 kW with the Bolt topping out at 80 kW IIRC, where the Superchargers top out at 120 kW. (Granted, the Model 3 Standard tops out lower than that, but you’re also basically guaranteed of the Superchargers actually doing the Model 3 Standard’s max.)

CCS chargers are far fewer in number, and mostly isolated to major cities. (VW is being forced to fix this, but...) This greatly reduces their utility for road trips, as you have to sit there and take slow 100% charges to make it to the next one, if it’s even possible.

Many CCS chargers are priced predatorily, as a last-resort option for i3, e-Golf, and Ioniq owners that can’t get home otherwise. Contrast to Superchargers that are priced at cost for Model 3 owners (or new Model S/X owners that don’t use a referral code), or gas stations that are priced at or slightly above cost (but drive business to the attached convenience store).

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 14:28

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All the running gear for the Bolt is made by LG. If the quality is anything like their consumer electronics, that’d be reason alone to be wary of it.

deekster_caddy > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 01/15/2018 at 16:33

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A used one like mine 2013 with a lot of options and 70K miles in good conditio. seem to be going for $12.5K or so. They are really nice interiors if you can get over the quirks of the infotainment stack. Auto heated seats etc. the 2nd gens have more options to them and the resale value didn’t crash as hard as the first gen. (2016 and newer is 2nd gen)

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 18:19

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The Model 3 vs the Bolt is very much like comparing a BMW to a Chevy.

Why do people buy BMWs when you can get a Chevy that checks all the boxes for a commuter/errand car... and there are more Chevy repair shops than BMW repair shops too!

So how does BMW have orders???

Sidenote: Yes... ‘Tesla’ has more cachet than ‘Chevrolet’.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Amoore100 01/15/2018 at 18:23

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Personally I think both look fine. Tesla takes the ‘simplicity is beautiful’ approach while GM is taking the ‘more is more’ approach.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > For Sweden 01/15/2018 at 18:35

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Mmm... Avocado toast with a Green Detox smoothie...

https://freshrestaurants.ca/pages/menu  

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > CompactLuxuryFan 01/15/2018 at 18:36

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But you know, a lot of good engineering went into that cardboard!!

Grindintosecond > Amoore100 01/15/2018 at 23:07

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I dunno. From that angle, tesla insides look like a not good enough Volvo design.

Amoore100 > Grindintosecond 01/15/2018 at 23:14

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I mean yeah—I was speaking as from the mentality of the average consumer to whom anything “ooh, technology” sells.