UH OH! All-new Tesla Model 3 Owners Are PISSED — Bait And Switch With Premium Interior Optioned Cars?

It seems that Tesla may have finally reached the last straw the broke the camel's back. What do I mean, you ask?

Well, I am just seeing this now but it appears that a whole bunch of Tesla Model 3 owners and reservation holders are very concerned. That's because the Model 3s that have been getting delivered with the $5,000 premium interior upgrade are getting mixed results.

Quite literally.

Apparently, pictures are making their way on social media and forums of headliners, visors, B-pillars and door inserts that were expected to be upholstered in Alcantara. Instead, they're arriving with a textile as you would find in any standard automobile.

This has owners up in arms. Some are claiming it's a bait and switch, others are stating they may cancel their order, and others are asking for a price adjustment. 

What do YOU make of this, Spies? Is this a simple error at the factory or is this a bait and switch move by Tesla?

Excuse the language in the comments below, but this is what folks are writing in forums right now:

stiffy - 1/12/2018 4:49:42 AM

+8 Boost

I'd be quite angry if waited god knows how long for my order and something arrives at my door that wasn't part of the specification I expected. Rather communicate proactivly with your customers to avoid such situations.

mre30 - 1/12/2018 6:56:04 AM

+7 Boost

If this is their only disappointment, things are going pretty well for Tesla reservation holders.

I acknowledge the possibility that other, more significant, even catastrophic, disappointments might be coming down the road.

MDarringer - 1/12/2018 8:49:43 AM

+6 Boost

This is just the latest in a long list of Tesla disappointments though.

TomM - 1/12/2018 7:12:39 AM

+9 Boost

Until Tesla ramps up MAJOR production - what this is - is an admission that they cannot make a real profit unless the cars have higher equipment. While it appears that Tesla will need more cash soon - the market is not looking differently at those requests - and it will cost them dearly.

Again - projections were made - that included a major drop in the cost of the batteries - and the worldwide shortage of Lithium has actually raised that cost. We ALL know that manufacturers make their money in the added equipment - and so Tesla is trying to survive by making loaded examples first - they also did this before as well.

Of course - when the added equipment is also being cheapened at the same time - I would simply not accept them.

skytop - 1/12/2018 8:21:27 AM

+8 Boost

Tesla put genuine leather on their sports car that is being sent to orbit Mars. Martians demand real leather.

MDarringer - 1/12/2018 8:22:39 AM

+8 Boost

FACT: The Model 3 was probably a year away from being ready for production when Musk arbitrarily said it was ready for production. These production glitches not only are evidence of that but continuing evidence of Tesla's low quality. The fit, finish, and execution of a similarly price Audi, BMW, or Mercedes is simply far better. This kind of a glitch makes Tesla look foolish.

Vette71 - 1/12/2018 10:27:56 AM

0 Boost

Trip odometer omitted. Fed law requires odometer.

SanJoseDriver - 1/13/2018 6:00:07 AM

-6 Boost

The car has both of those, although I'm not sure why you would use the FM radio with free Slacker internet radio (play any song on demand or use curated channels with no commercials).

cidflekken - 1/12/2018 9:42:04 AM

+11 Boost

$5,000 for Alcantara surfaces? Doesn't that seem a bit high for a $35K car?

mre30 - 1/12/2018 10:18:24 AM

+2 Boost

The Model 3 must be the ONLY $35,000 car with available Alcantara.

Silly!

Vette71 - 1/12/2018 10:30:45 AM

+2 Boost

Its a $40K car that included $5K better interior option, which didn't happen.

Truthy - 1/12/2018 1:22:30 PM

+1 Boost

The average transaction price is expected to be north of $53,000 according to independent analysts. It can go all the way up to $60,000. This is why comparing this to a Chevy Bolt is not apples to apples. They typical transaction price for a Bolt is $38,000 before tax incentives. This makes the Model 3 at least 30 percent more than a Bolt which has been on the market for about a year.
Maybe the 3 is a better vehicle, but it should be for the premium.

SanJoseDriver - 1/13/2018 6:01:11 AM

-4 Boost

That comment is idiotic, very few people would actually think that.

MDarringer - 1/13/2018 10:07:56 AM

+2 Boost

The comment about the Model 3 being a class below the Leaf etc. aside, the fact is that when you compare the interior quality of any Tesla with vehicles from Mercedes, BMW, and Audi at the same price point, Tesla always loses in the comparison.

TheSteve - 1/12/2018 2:16:30 PM

+8 Boost

By the way, although Alcantara is positioned as a premium product (Porsche sells it for as much as leather), it's not! It's just another name for UltraSuede; the same textile you can get on a La-Z-Boy recliner. Manufacturers' cost is about 1/10 of leather, so they have a tremendous markup. It also wears poorly on high-touch surfaces, like steering wheels, stick shifts, and seats.

Back to the Tesla story: What is Tesla saying? Mistake? Suck it up? If I was waiting months to get a custom-ordered car, and the manufacturer got it wrong, I'd be pissed. There should be some generous compensation by Tesla to the customer, as a goodwill gesture.

MrEE - 1/12/2018 7:25:18 PM

-2 Boost

Leather seems premium when new, but does not age well, needs heating/cooling, and ends up requiring frequent cleaning.

GermanNut - 1/12/2018 11:32:18 PM

+5 Boost

Customers have the right to be pissed. They paid thousands of dollars for a more luxurious interior and instead ended up with a cheaper interior than what Tesla was supposed to deliver. This will obviously cost Tesla money to fix, it will likely get sued and think about what these customers think of the Tesla brand after something like this happens.

For a company that is very clearly behind its production targets for the Model 3, these mistakes will make its job of reaching its goal that much harder, costlier and longer.

SanJoseDriver - 1/13/2018 6:04:21 AM

-5 Boost

The liner in the Model 3 is the same liner that they use in the Model S. I'm really not sure if Alcantra would look any better.

They should just use the same synthetic material they use for the seats.

Vette71 - 1/13/2018 4:18:05 PM

+5 Boost

Vinyl? That's what Tesla uses. Cold in the winter, hot and sweaty in the summer. Hard and stiff with little give. Leather if done right is luxurious and adds comfort.Not everybody does it right as Motor Trend noted in their "coy" tests. they blasted BMW for its "rubber interiors"that were supposed to be leather. Take care of it and it will last.

SanJoseDriver - 1/23/2018 1:17:33 AM

0 Boost

Not sure if it is exactly vinyl, but it is way more comfortable than the real Napa leather in my 1st gen Model S. I could care less about it not being real leather, just that it is comfortable and easy to clean.

SanJoseDriver - 1/24/2018 12:17:02 AM

+1 Boost

Have you actually sat in the front seats of a new Model S/X? Pretty damn comfortable. My 2013 Model S with "real leather" seats--good enough but not super comfortable.

MrEE - 1/14/2018 10:02:27 AM

0 Boost

The vast majority of automotive leather has a polymer surface coating. It is essentially a vinyl coating and this coating is what fails (cracks, peels, wears off). A full synthetic material will be higher performance than a leather base.

MDarringer - 1/14/2018 12:08:37 PM

+1 Boost

The fact is that most leather in cheap cars is really vinyl without any animal DNA anywhere near it.