Having started with the Tesla Roadster to garner attention to the world of possibilities from electric cars, Elon Musk had always aimed to make electric cars efficient as well as affordable. This was the three-stage 'Part Deux' plan which ultimately aims at an ¡°affordable, high volume¡± electric car.
You would think that the Model 3, Tesla¡¯s cheapest EV, is an amalgamation of the same. But Musk wants to push for more.
This, possibly through a new compact electric car. The tech billionaire hinted at such a vehicle in a recent call with investors, while simultaneously accepting the fact that Tesla cars ¡°are not affordable.¡±
There is a relative truth to it. While Tesla cars are still some of the most affordable offerings in their respective segments, thanks to the value for money on their considerable range, the truth is there are cheaper EVs in the market. And from the perspective of a buyer, even cheaper IC engine ones.
Musk wants to change that by doing the ¡°obvious things¡± going forward. The obvious here understandably being bringing the prices down of Tesla cars, existing ones and those to come.
While speaking to some analysts and investors, Musk shared his ambition to make affordable electric cars. He said, "I think we will not succeed in our mission if we do not make cars affordable. Like the thing that bugs me the most about where we are right now is that our cars are not affordable enough. We need to fix that," a report by Business Insider quotes.
Hinting at how Tesla will go about the target, he said, "It would be reasonable to assume that we would make a compact vehicle of some kind and probably a higher capacity vehicle of some kind.¡±
Nothing is planned as of now though and it might take a while before Tesla eventually gets to the point of coming up with an electric car so affordable that it beats the competition, whether electric or fossil fuel run.
Till the time, the company is to focus on the existing models.¡°These are likely things at some point. But I do think there's a long way to go with 3 and Y and with Cybertruck and Semi. So, it's a long way to go with those. I think we'll do the obvious things," Musk said.
As of now, Tesla has an electric sedan, pickup truck, SUV as well as a compact SUV in its lineup.?The only one segment that makes sense now and one that will adhere to the affordability criteria is an electric hatchback.
And why not? After all, this is the segment that has enjoyed the most EV sales across the globe. Nissan Leaf has seen multiple iterations, all enjoying massive sales over the years. And no matter how many cars Tesla sells, Leaf still remains the most sold EV in the world.
For simple reasons nonetheless. It is affordable given the size, offers a considerable range and is compact for city drive. In short, a perfect urban electric car. Mind you, urbanscapes are the most likely regions to attract EV buyers.
So is Tesla eyeing the segment yet?A tweet by Musk earlier this month hinted that such a car is possible. And in case the company decides to go for it, nothing would make more sense than to ¡°design & engineer¡± it in the Gigafactory Berlin, especially for Tesla¡¯s European market.
There are no hints at the timeline though.