The range of their DS premium-price EV is an impressive 460+ miles, but–IMO–the EV market is saturated in The US, and it would be a mistake to bring it here. But, they just might blunder into a serious mistake:
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Vw’s Cupra sub brand is in talks with the Penske dealer group about a US launch in 2030 with their Plug In Hybrid suv’s or electric suv’s. Doubt DS would make it to the US unless they become Chrysler or Dodge products.
If you have been following the news, you would see that Stellantis (corporate) and Stellantis dealers (Chrysler, Dodge/Ram, and Jeep) are doing very poorly in this country, because their products have become too “premium”, and prospective customers aren’t willing or able to pay these prices. If anything, they need to figure out how to bring back entry-level/economy vehicles…and fast.
At this time, the overwhelming majority of adults working career-type jobs here in the U.S. can afford to spend $10k-15k on a used vehicle, or $15k-20k on a new vehicle. Maybe they can spend $25k with taxes and dealer fees. But $50k, $80k, $100k is absolutely out of the question. And vehicles with these outlandish price points are piling up on dealer lots!
Insofar as EVs, personally I think those will be a limited use case niche segment, and that the successful manufacturer will bring to market a low-cost compact model with a 160-200 mile range. This would make a great commuter car/secondary vehicle, and if it can sell for $20k or less, people will line up to buy. But high-cost, extended-range electric pickups and SUVs are languishing on the market, because everyone who wanted to buy one–and can afford to–has already done so!
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I think it’s fair to say that this varies considerably, depending on one’s locale.
When I was driving to the supermarket yesterday, the car directly in back of me was a late-model Rolls-Royce Spectre. When I parked at my destination, the parking lot was filled with many makes of cars, but the predominant ones were late-model BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Porsche, and Genesis models, and there was even a Jaguar SUV, a Lucid sedan, and a Rivian pickup. Last year, in that same parking lot, I spied a late model McLaren.
I will grant that this area isn’t necessarily typical, but the folks in several counties of Central NJ seem to have no problem buying very pricey cars, and I suspect that this isn’t the only part of The US where that is the case.
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Corporate Stellantis calls the shots on production and they seem to be ignoring dealer complaints about new cars and trucks being too expensive. I read an article recently that said Jeeps are much more expensive than traditional buyers are willing to spend. Jeep has no inexpensive models anymore. Of course the average price of all new vehicles is over $47,000 now. While there may be incentives for EVs, the market for them even when good is small, meaning most people are buying hybrids or ICE only vehicles and almost half are paying $50,000 or more.
Stellantis sales figures–in general–and Jeep sales figures–in particular–are down sharply. However, the sales figures for the pricey ($63,000 base MSRP) Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer have soared. Go figure!
I think EV’s are going down. And I said no one would vote for Harris.
Not a good prediction…48.4% did.
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Down in price? Sure, but you probably mean that they will not be successful in the future. I think the poor sales in the last year are related to the changes in the tax credit. It used to be that any BEV qualified for the $7500 tax credit. In the last year that changed due to several factors. Here’s a quick recap from fueleconomy.gov.
“ The availability of the credit will depend on several factors, including the vehicle’s MSRP, its final assembly location, battery component and/or critical minerals sourcing, and your modified adjusted gross income (AGI).”
It took the IRS quite a while to implement the new regulations passed by Congress. Significantly fewer vehicles qualify as a result. As an example, the Mustang Mach-E fell off the list completely. Note that almost all Teslas qualify for the full $7500 and that they are not losing money. Now that the tax credit requirements are cleared up their sales may return to higher levels. The link below allows you to search for qualifying vehicles and whether they qualify for $3750 or $7500.
Chrysler/Dodge don’t sell cars anymore, no more CAFE goals or California EV mandate, so they don’t need an EV sedan.
Nissan Leaf has been around for 15 years. Many others in the entry level EV market; Ford, GM, Fiat, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen. There aren’t enough buyers at that level to support the market.
That is Tesla’s target customer. I should have bought Tesla stock 10 years ago.
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+1
In addition to the BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Porsche, Genesis, Jaguar, Lucid, and Rivian models that I mentioned in my earlier post, there is always a large contingent of Teslas in that supermarket parking lot.
[quote="Nevada_545, post:10, topic:198136]
That is Tesla’s target customer. I should have bought Tesla stock 10 years ago.
[/quote]
Actually the Model 3 Long Range RWD starts at $29,990 and the Model Y Long Range RWD starts at $31,490. Both prices include the $7500 tax credit. Since most people buying new cars will pay at least $7500 in federal taxes, they will get the credit and that pricing is appropriate. The MYLR has a range of 337 miles and the M3LR range is 363 miles.
It seems most new vehicle buyers earn a lot more than I do. My federal income tax last year was less than $2700, approximately 1/3 of the credit offered.
The Tesla site shows the Model 3 starting price at $44,130, then subtract any tax credit that may apply. That is twice the amount @bcohen2010 suggested the majority can afford.
They also include 5,000 in “gas savings” to get to the 29,900 starting price. Washington State had a EV incentive program where you got $9,000 instant rebate for a 3yr lease or $5,000 for a 2yr lease or cash purchase. Funds ran out in about 2mo after 6,000 buyers took part. We’ll have to see if it gets funded again for 2025. Income limits and a $90,000 price cap are part of the program.
Your are correct about the $5000 estimated gas subtraction. I didn’t read the fine print. Thanks for posting it. I will add that half the people buying new vehicles can afford to spend more than $47,397, the average price in September. That down from $48,615 for the same period last year. My assertion was not for all people buying cars, only buying new vehicles.
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Maybe my calculator doesn’t have enough zeros but that was about $13 per ballot. Davy crocket used rum.
Yeah, I got a laugh out of the $5k in “gas savings”. What a joke! First of all, I don’t spend anywhere near that on fuel for all of my vehicles, let alone for one. Second, if one actually buys this vehicle and drives it enough miles to equal $5k worth of fuel, their electric bill would surely increase by a proportional amount to cover the cost of recharging each night. If a Tesla “saves” $5k worth of fuel in a year, then so does a pair of sneakers, or a 10-speed bike, or a desk and chair, because none of those things need fuel.
The estimated fuel savings is during a 5 year period. The depreciation during that time period would be about $20,000, this is no way to save money.
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Part of the problem with the depreciation is the ever-decreasing MSRP. It was a similar situation for GM cars when they were heavily discounting them. While someone may have paid $1000 less than MSRP, the depreciation was determined based on MSRP. Anyway, I don’t pay attention to depreciation because I keep my cars for ten or more years.