Do you perceive Tesla as a prestigious brand?

[LWJ]

A few years back, Tesla had outstanding brand appeal. A billionaire I know turned from vintage Porsche desire to Tesla worship. (Big mistake, I know!!!). Linus Torvalds drove an early one around when nobody had one. They were a “thing.”

Today? I have a neighbor with a 3 and a couple of buddies with them. One buddy has the aura of achieving his life dream with this car. Me? In light of the cybertruck debacle and dozens of competitors, I don’t get it or care. In fact if I see a cyber truck my reaction is negative.

So the question is, is Tesla still a prestigious brand?

(You can probably tell my opinion)

[mgatepi]

Never considered Tesla to be a prestige brand. Still dont

[MMiller]

No. Passing fad hopefully... probably not EV's but Tesla.

[Sooner or later]

Big 3 type or just a tad higher. Under BMW or Audi.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by mgatepi

Never considered Tesla to be a prestige brand. Still dont

Ditto

[Shaun @ Tru6]

To me, a prestige brand has to earn its place over time. If it hasn't, it's just a shiny thing to show off in the moment. My 2 cents.

[masraum]

I think it's perceived that way by many, but I don't think it really is.

I think there was some flash-in-the-pan, whiz-bang factor originally because when it first came out it seemed pretty innovative and trail blazing. Some folks have hung onto those first impressions.

[Ayles]

Not at all.

I personally don't care for them.

My new neighbor is a higher end car dealer, he had both a Taycan and Tesla at his house and I got the rare opportunity to drive one right after the other.

The Tesla is JUNK compared to the Taycan but they are two different price points. Fit and finish on the Tesla had all of the panel gap issues you hear about. The Porsche's interior was insanely nice and not even on the same planet as the Tesla.

Performance wise the Tesla actually felt slightly faster according to the butt dyno.

As a side note, we have another neighbor who has a tesla and they pronounce it with a Z, as in "honey where did you park the Tezla". It's hilarious.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

To me, a prestige brand has to earn its place over time.

I mostly agree with this in principal, but if a newly launched car brand is done correctly, it can definitely be perceived as having prestige. Lamborghini, McLaren (the F1 road car,) Koenigsegg were born prestigious, IMHO.

Tesla? Not hardly. Ubiquitous? Sure.

[Tobra]

No, it is a utensil

[stevej37]

Nope. Hardly any sales of them here.
Big pick-ups and SUV's are the best sellers.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by LWJ

In fact if I see a cyber truck my reaction is negative.

+1 Same here and I am bummed because I invested no real thought to decide. It was simply an OMFG at first sight. I does not fit in with other cars on the road and it looks like shiet. You then wonder why the owner did that.

S & X Tesla's are fine. They are prestigious to a degree but not a prestige brand. Ride in one and they are cool as can be.

[Noah930]

Here in LA, Teslas are definitely a prestige brand. They're trendy and as stylish/desirable as BMWs, Mercedes', and Lexi. They're everywhere--just like BMWs, Mercedes', and Lexi.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

We saw a cybertruck the other day, got to be right next to it in traffic. It's sparkle factor was gone in the blink of an eye.

[Scott Douglas]

There are so many Teslas in our 'hood it really makes me wonder where the f--- did all these people find the money for them.

[Bill Douglas]

More of a fad car.

[pwd72s]

Used to be a "politically correct" status ride....dunno about today, since Musk lost favor with the woke brigade. Maybe still the highest prestige among electrics? No denying how insanely fast the Plaid is...so quick in the 1/4 mile, they're banned unless they have added track safety features.

[aschen]

Not prestigious, but a definitely high tech and innovative.

Never had a tesla or ev, don't really want one but they deserve some credit in the space. Gigantic aluminum casting, leaders in actual efficiency energy/mile, batter tech, driver assist/automation, growth, first to commoditize absurd straight line performance in an EV, investing in supercharger infrastructure, for better or worse having the balls to make the cybertruck.

EVs are an eventuality weather you like it or not, tesla was/is an innovator in the space, and currently the technology leader.

[Evans, Marv]

I never considered our model Y a prestige car. It was/is simply the type of transportation that fits our needs and situation. I was actually surprised when I saw it catagorized as a luxury car in the Consumer Reports auto issue. Other than having some whiz bang electronic features which will probably be standard in all cars very soon, it's just a car. I can say as an older person, I enjoy not having to deal with fluids, belts, etc., etc. The only thing I've done is take it in for tire rotation, add windshield washer fluid, & clean it. It fit into my overall plan of sticking it to the utility company and oil companies. We almost exclusively charge it at home, and our total outlay for electric power last year for the car and house was slightly under $45/mo. I do have a van I use for some errands, towing, & hauliing larger things. I fill it up around once every six weeks when I use up around half a tank. I think electric cars will be dominant in the future but those who, for whatever reasons, dislike them will have their choices of ICE cars for a long time to come. As far as the truck is concerned, I don't think I've seen an uglier vehicle.

[MMARSH]

As I've mentioned here before, we have 2 of them. Never considered either one a prestige car really, but I think there was a time when they weren't as common and had an aura about them. These days they are all over the place, In Southern California, you see 1000 of them a day.

When I bought my S, it was the only EV in the game, that I thought was a nice looking car and had decent range. After 100K miles, it's been a fantastic car and other then tires, has been essentially maintenance free. I still enjoy driving it. Based on our experience with my Model S, my wife bought a model 3. It's been OK.

When I bought my car, it was the right car for my needs at that time. Prestige wasn't a consideration.