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Most classic automakers are suffering to produce and market electric cars, even when Tesla sells thousands of its luxury models.
By Neal E. Boudette
Despite equipping the world’s most valuable automaker, Tesla has yet to figure out how to monetize, reduce the quality unrest of its luxury cars, and reshape prototypes into mass-produced cars faster.
One where he had little to fear: competition.
Over the next year, several automakers, including Audi, Jaguar and Porsche, have added new models to reduce Tesla’s power domain. But they made a dent, at least in the United States. Sales of the Jaguar I-Pace, an electric gaming application vehicle for the Tesla Model Y, totaled just over 1,000 this year. Porsche has announced sales for its electric sedan, the Taycan.
Audi, which has continued to grow in the United States over the past decade, brought in an electric S.U.V. last year, E-tron and sales grew. So far this year, Audi has sold just under 2900. In many states, the car is advertised at a value of 13% or more below its list value: for an Audi.
“Obviously, from the figures we see, those cars don’t set the world on fire,” said Karl Brauer, an independent automotive analyst. “It’s a mistake to think that just because those cars were in the market, other people were going to buy them.”
General Motors drove a little more with its Chevrolet Bolt, which the company introduced in 2016. The company sold more than 8,000 Bolt this year. Nissan Leaf’s sales exceeded 3000.
Tesla, which breaks down sales by country, obviously operates on another level. National knowledge analyzed through Cross-Sell shows that 56,000 new Teslas have been registered this year in 23 states, adding California, Florida, New York and Texas. Analysts said Tesla’s overall sales in all 50 states were probably more than 70,000 cars. Globally, the company delivered approximately 180,000 cars in the first six months of the year.
Of course, electric cars, in addition to Tesla’s, account for a small proportion of car sales, totaling more than 17 million in the United States last year. Electricity accounts for a larger percentage of Europe’s new car market, and Tesla is facing more festivals than in the United States, but not much more. China has many local electric car manufacturers, but they have a tendency to make less expensive cars that do not directly compete with Tesla’s offerings. Regardless of the market, however, electric cars are the fastest developed segment of the automotive industry.
Tesla’s dominance is partly due to its advantage. He has promoted electric cars in giant numbers since 2012. The company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have also created a fervent fan base that few other automakers, with the imaginable exception of high-end sports car brands such as Porsche or Ferrari, can claim. Tesla has long introduced inventions that other corporations are only now looking to match, such as wireless software updates that can load features or troubleshoot without going to dealerships.
One of the biggest shortcomings of competing models is diversity: the distance an electric car can travel before it wants to recharge. The maximum for E-tron and Taycan is about two hundred miles. I-Pace and Bolt have between 235 and 260 miles. The cheapest Tesla Model 3 has a 250-mile diversity and a company’s maximum of cars of three hundred miles or more with a bachelor fee.
Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at Guidehouse Insights, said Audi, Jaguar and Porsche cars outperformed Teslas in some respects, such as appearance, touch and finish, but that their limitations had discouraged many buyers.
“The difference is too much for many consumers to ignore,” he said.
Mercedes-Benz and BMW have taken longer to introduce electric cars into the United States, where any of the corporations plans to start promoting new S.U.V. electric vehicles. next year. Late last year, Mercedes delayed the arrival of its model, the EQC. And BMW, which brought its i3 in 2014, depended on this early start.
That left Tesla on the loose to do so, and the investors took note. The company’s shares soared this year, from $510 in early January to about $1,600. The opening of a momentary meeting facility in China and the advent of the Y model have increased optimism that Tesla will lead a transition from gasoline-powered cars and trucks to zero-emission electric vehicles.
Of course, Tesla’s good fortune is guaranteed. It has reported an annual profit since its inception in 2003.
But on Wednesday, the company reported a second-quarter profit of $104 million, the first time it reported profits for 4 consecutive quarters. Functionality analysts, who expected Tesla to lose cash because the coronavirus pandemic forced it to close its main plant in California for about two months.
However, Tesla has struggled to adapt to the quality grades of classic automakers, and spends a lot on Y-style production and the progression of a truck, truck and other vehicles. It is also building a third plant in Germany and plans a fourth.
His autopilot driving assistance formula has gained great attention, however, his shortcomings have been analyzed after fatal injuries while in use. This month, a German court ruled that Tesla had exaggerated the formula’s functions and created the false impression that autopilot Tesla cars can drive themselves. The company has long argued that the knowledge gathered through its cars shows that the formula makes its cars safer than others on the road.
Tesla officials responded to requests for comment.
In addition, a more powerful competitive boost would soon come. By the end of this year, Ford Motor plans to begin promoting an electric S.U.V., the Mustang Mach-E, designed to look like the company’s remarkable sports car. It promises a car edition with a diversity of 3 hundred miles or more. G.m. he said he would offer a new Bolt with a longer battery life until the end of this year, followed by more than 20 electric models over the next 3 years.
Next year, Volkswagen will begin promoting an electric S.U.V., the ID4, which will also have a diversity of three hundred miles. The company began taking orders in Europe on Monday for ID3, a sedan that will sell for about 10,000 euros less than the Model 3; The car will not be sold in the United States.
And start-ups are raising billions of dollars to challenge Tesla. Among the most promising are Rivian, subsidized through Amazon, Ford and other investors. Michigan-based corporate plans to launch a pickup truck and an S.U.V. next year. that can go up to 400 miles.
Even before, a new company, Polestar, is owned by Volvo and Volvo’s Chinese parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding. Polestar 2 is a hatchback destined for 275 miles before you want to recharge and has the agility type, from 0 to 62 miles consistent with the hour in less than five seconds, that fans like. It will start with $59,900 in the United States, and buyers will be able to claim $7,500 federal tax credits and state incentives. The company will also sell Polestar 1, a sports coupe that starts at $155,000.
Polestar recently opened sales centers in Santa Monica, California and New York. Sales are expected to begin in the coming weeks. Other showrooms are expected to look like next year in Boston, Miami, Denver and elsewhere.
The corporate made a big commitment to technology. Their cars are controlled via Google’s Android software, which allows drivers to run many parts of cars with the same type of herbal voice commands that many other people use with smartphones.
“You can use Google Assistant to use everything from maps to turning the weather in your car into trivial matters,” said Gregor Hembrough, Polestar’s U.S. operations manager. And Volvo veteran.
And because Polestar is an all-electric company like Tesla, Hembrough plans to attract consumers from classic automakers, its biggest rival. He said the company expected to sell “thousands” of cars this year and “tens of thousands” by 2021.
“Right now, just a party in town, ” he said.
Jack Ewing contributed to the report.
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