This is the point for me. The i3 should have been better, the new electric Mini has a worse spec than the 10 year old design in EV creds at least, the infotainment and trim, I'm sure, is very good. But it does not fill the credibility gap.
My slightly sarcastic comment, earlier, about Focus' and Astra's/ Corsa's was, in fact, where we need to be. Mass market family cars at a mass market price point.
The Model 3 is a great step in this direction, but only a step. Taycans, iPaces, to fill that role? It is a bad joke.
Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, are all where we need to be.
But here is the point. To March 2019, since 2010, Nissan had sold 400,000 leafs. By March 2020 the Tesla Model 3 will have beaten that even though the first production vehicle only rolled off the production line a little over 2 years ago.
For the Bolt it is much worse. Tesla sold more Model 3 in Q2 2019 than Bolt's had been sold in total Globally.
By the end of 2020, at this rate, Tesla will have sold more Model 3 than Nissan Leaf's and Chevy Bolt's and Volt's.
This is something we want and need. If we are going to transition to EV, then we need millions per year sold. Not hundreds of thousands per decade.
For that, alone, Tesla should get Kudos.
With this level of sales loss, the major manufacturers have to respond and ramp up urgently. Because if they do not, then one or more of them are going to fail.
Take a step back, consider where Tesla was and where it is today. By the time that we have gigafactory3 up to full speed Tesla will be producing the total global sales of their main FF competitors EV models every 3Q.
Forget temporary manufacturing space, it was the right decision at the time. It is not how they got to where they are today, it is the fact that they are there and still a going concern.
We need Tesla to succeed in order to drag the rest along kicking and screaming.