How Important Are Luxury Brand Names Going To Be In An EV World?

It will be a strange world. Buyers of tomorrow are phone centric consumers. They may not care that everything is battery powered and silent. Brand will be more about style and interiors + tech.

For some it’s all about what’s underneath/substance while for others brand matters especially in the world of social media, clicks, and influencers

Now more than ever a company’s brand/image goes a long way with the upcoming generations who are obsessed with instagram worthy moments, experiences, and brands

Now Becky the YouTuber/blogger/social media influencer is concerned about which new car will get her the most likes/validation/followers, the Toyota Corolla or reaching deeper in that bank account for a Mercedes CLA

Today's luxury brand names will remain important/valuable as long as the brand is keeping pace with the trends & competition...and building the best product for whatever category they prefer to play in.

The reason why many of these warehouse-level EV startups have remained untouched is b/c all of the major global automakers have already developed/studied/tested the current EV tech already. And they just haven't found a profitable business-case for the tech. So it's easy for the fat cats to sit & watch the mice chatter about for crumbs.

I never bought based on brand. I buy based on substance, quality, reliability and the performance I want. I've owned Honda, Lexus, Mini, VW, BMW, Porsche, MB, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Toyota. I have my eyes on Genesis next or maybe a used Smart ElectricDrive.

No more, no less than now. Brand snobbery never dies, its human nature. Luxury manufacturers will compensate in other areas.

It's a bit more than snobbery. It's about the level of quality, features, and service one is willing and able to pay for. Market segmentation is not going away just because propulsion changed.

Better said vdiv.

Tesla needs to improve it’s interior in their cars if they even consider themselves a main stream BEV when the traditional car manufacturers come in with their BEVs other the GM that is. They are on par with Tesla right now on their car interiors.

It's a matter of opinion I suppose. Most Tesla owners I think would disagree. Complex designs with a bunch of knobs, buttons, and too many different materials being used are already looking dated.

All around the world, Telsa has a brand as the "cool" car. Why sacrifice that to build a mainstream interior?

If anything they will be moving even further away from traditional on future cars. The Roadster has no door handles at all, I think the emergency button is on the screen, and did you see the crazy steering wheel?--everything is consolidated to two metal paddles and two touchpads on the "wheel". They Marie Kondo'ed the heck out of the car. I can't even imagine what they did to the Cybertruck.

A certain proportion of 'rich people' or 'people who want to seem rich' will always buy the more expensive thing (car, etc) versus a less expensive thing that has the same utility but is cheaper and less flashy.

Let me go out on a limb here and state my opinion that 'fancy brands' will have both EV and IC products, as dictated by the market. Who knows where that mix lies? In the overall market the mix is currently about 1% EV to 99% IC. There is obviously a ways to go.

Tesla's two challenges are (1) quality control which needs attention and (2) to stop being Elon's freak show along with his band of self-pissing sycophant fans.

Look at the brand loyalty that surrounds AA and AAA lithium batteries. Branding is product identity.

Interesting question. I think of Samsung and Apple. Neither was exactly the "name to get" when Motorola and Nokia or even Blackberry were dominating. They both presented products that that clearly surpassed the industry and the switch to these two brands was pretty swift.

Tesla may be proving the same approach. Despite all the naysayers, no one can deny the pure sales numbers of Tesla, at their price points. They're not cheap. Yet they sell in significant numbers.
Today, no EV product from the premium brands has been able to rival the offerings from Tesla in terms of range, performance and, subjectively, style/novelty (come on with those Falcon doors). Not dissimilar to how Motorola, Nokia nor Blackberry could rival the smartphones of Apple and Samsung. Even if/when they did, they were long forgotten brands.

Do today's petrol premium brands run that same risk? It's hard to say. One of the keys is going to be smart, attractive, and standout designs. In this sense, cars like the i3 failed. The Audi e-tron is failing (from what I'm reading). Mercedes might have the advantage here b/c the EQC and EQS are unique designs within their lineup and stand out as EV products. Something EV buyers love to be able to "say" while out on the road. Mercedes needs to guarantee competitive range and performance, while offering luxurious interiors the way they know how. With that said, it might be Mercedes and Tesla left standing, like Apple and Samsung.

"Tesla offers nothing unique". Did you know you just typed that out? What other maker, prior to Tesla, successfully offered a full EV large sedan, small sedan, and SUV, with top-line range and incredible performance? Do tell.

Is the X not an SUV, why wouldn't the S be a Sedan? Not following.

It is the propulsion system that has changed =- not the Buyers.
While I admit it may take a few years for all of this to settle out the tiers again - there will always be those who have more than others and want people to know it.

I think anyone who has spent time behind the wheel of the Tesla will certainly recognize they have changed the game and although the method of propulsion gets all the headlines it goes way deeper than that. They have literally rethought almost every aspect of the vehicles operation (Still needs HUD though). I am still quite surprised they did not have way more issues than they have had with such a revolutionary product. BTW I don't currently own a Tesla and just bought a BMW 4 series, but I certainly recognize and respect the huge progress Tesla has made in the industry. It seems others that actually run auto companies recognize this as well, from Mercedes to Porsche to Toyota they all give Tesla a lot of credit for what they are doing. Some on this board may not see that as it is perhaps hard for us here to have the insight and perspective people like that would have I suppose.

I don't miss the lack of HUD or 2nd screen in the Model 3. I kind of like the lack of noise right above the steering wheel. Everyone (including me) complained about this design choice in Tesla forums, now no one is complaining. Total nonissue.