Tesla Model 3: A Hype Like Apple

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Tesla Model 3: A Hype Like Apple
Tesla Model 3: A Hype Like Apple

Video: Tesla Model 3: A Hype Like Apple

Video: Tesla Model 3: A Hype Like Apple
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Tesla unveiled the Model 3 in California. Tesla boss Elon Musk wants to conquer the mass market with it. Within a few hours there were already 115,000 pre-orders. The electric car should have a range of 345 kilometers.

Usually only Apple generates this kind of hype with its new iPhones: to roaring applause, Tesla boss Elon Musk unveils the car with which he wants to conquer the mass market. The "Model 3" is a chic five-seater, which in the basic version has a range of a good 345 kilometers and can be accelerated from zero to 60 miles (almost 97 kilometers) per hour in six seconds.

"It's a fantastic car," said Musk, earning a standing ovation on Friday night at the presentation in Hawthorne, Los Angeles. The premiere is not only decisive for Tesla, but possibly for the future of electric mobility as a whole.

Great excitement among analysts

The excitement is great not only among Tesla fans, but also among analysts. The car has "the potential to dramatically expand the overall market for electric cars," rejoiced the investment bank Goldman Sachs shortly before the event. In fact, buyers are fighting for the "Model 3" - 115,000 pre-orders were received within 24 hours. That is more than there have ever been in Tesla owners. Buyers have to be patient - the car should be delivered from the end of 2017 and Tesla is happy to be late.

How can the euphoria be explained? "With the Tesla 3, the electric car has the chance to penetrate the middle class," explains expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer from the CAR Institute at the University of Duisburg Essen. The special thing about the premiere: So far, Tesla has only been on the market with the "Model S" sedan and the luxury SUV "Model X" with premium offers for big budgets. The standard-bearer of the electric drive basically only supplies toys and status symbols for the rich, critics deride. That is changing now.

Price at 31,000 euros

At 35,000 (31,000 euros), "Model 3" costs less than half of the expensive predecessor models - before the deduction of state discounts. This would mean that Tesla would even undercut the hitherto fiercest competitor Chevrolet Bolt EV from Opel parent company General Motors, which also has a range of more than 300 kilometers and is expected to cost a nominal 37,000 dollars. The US electric car subsidy is around $ 7,500.

So far, Stromer have been a niche in the car market. In total, only 0.3 percent of the almost 17.5 million new cars sold in the USA last year had an electric drive. That's only a few tens of thousands. However, regulatory provisions are programmed to increase in importance. Tesla's "Model 3" and the Chevy Bolt from GM represent a kind of acid test for the mass market suitability of the battery drive.

The experts rely on Tesla primarily because of the radiance of the brand. Self-made billionaire Musk, who made a fortune as co-founder of the payment service PayPal, is a Silicon Valley superstar, he enjoys cult status with fans and investors celebrate him too. The company gives the electric car a real stage, says Dudenhöffer. "Tesla has shown that as a start-up you can really give the industry an innovative impetus."

Waiting in front of the showrooms

Tesla California Model 3
Tesla California Model 3

How big the hype is was shown even before the eagerly awaited presentation. The day before the event, photos of Tesla supporters waiting in front of the showrooms were making the rounds on Twitter to be the first to put themselves on the lists for pre-orders. But the foray into the mass market is also a big risk for Tesla and its shareholders. The company, which has not yet made a profit for the year since it was founded in 2003, accepts high costs. The risky plan has to work.

"Model 3" is an important piece of the puzzle if you want to earn real money in the future. Another crucial factor is building a huge factory for batteries that will one day run the vehicles. This "gigafactory" is being built in Nevada and devours billions. So far, Tesla has been a big promise to shareholders. "Nobody knows whether this will pay off in the long term," says Dudenhöffer. (dpa)

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