> And the interesting thing is that 90% of buyers for cars $200k+ don't even try them out before buying.
>The guess in the industry is that those people literally see an article or an ad for a new Lambo(or whatever) and they just buy one on an impulse.
The same thing happens on the bottom of the price spectrum too. When cars like the Focus RS and Civic Type R came out, people were gladly putting down $10k+ over MSRP (which was already around $35k) without ever leaving the lot, all for a souped up economy car. I don't think it has anything to do with having so much money that someone doesn't care, it's the auto enthusiast mindset of knowing exactly what you want.
The Model 3 sits alone in its own market segment at the moment. Buyers know exactly what they want because there's literally nothing else to want without spending significantly more. The i3 is a joke, the Model S and Model X are significantly more expensive (even with the Model 3's currently high pricing) and the rest of the "competitors" are hybrids.
Well, I think this hegemony is about to end, with several different cars approaching quickly. For example - the new Kia E-Niro - just as much range as the model 3, arguably more space, and you can order one right now for just £32,999 - and you can't get a Model 3 here for that price yet.
I don't see many people cross shopping Tesla and Kia, unless Tesla makes an extremely barebones Model 3 that is more economy car-like than the vehicles they've previously made. The Model S may not have the interior of an S Class, but Tesla is seen as a tech company, innovator and market leader, and that's a huge part of their allure. Tesla has cachet that Kia will never have, no matter what they do to ditch their bargain bin past. The Stinger and K900 are great cars, but they haven't attracted people who would have otherwise bought a 540i or A7, they're getting people from downstream to stretch their budgets upwards. I'm all for more electric cars, but I don't see Kia taking on Tesla. I think when "premium" brands like Volvo, Infiniti and Acura start offering them it'll really hit Tesla where it hurts. Both Volvo and Infiniti have teased an electric CUV, but that's still years away. Volvo claimed it'll be ready in 2019 in press releases, but nothing on their website indicates that it's ready for purchase.
I remember briefly flirting with the idea of buying a new WRX back in 2000 or so. Went to a few dealerships and asked to take a test drive, and none of them would even let me. They said "If I let you test drive this car, it would end up with a non-zero mileage, and I have buyers lined up for blocks demanding zero on the odometer."
In my experience of owners, including myself, people are super precious about their WRXs and they are pampered and fawned over beyond all reason. Mine was festooned with aftermarket parts, stickers, lighting, sound upgrade and DVD, noisy muffler etc.
OTOH, my STI is more of a 'no fucks' style tool, no mods, not even a sticker. Great car, probably way too much car for me if I'm honest, but safe and predictable. Just fast. Was nice to get one straight off the truck, 8 miles on the ODO.
And if anyone doubts the mettle on one of these, take a look at the following showing a not heavily modified standard car: https://youtu.be/mejMde6z1Nw?t=861 [Top 20 Finish in a WRC Event - Almost Unheard Of!!]
Yes? That's the "why" of the cost, not the "why" of people willing to buy sight unseen. The latter is explained by enthusiasts when it comes to lower end cars, as I mentioned. There are plenty of higher end cars that are even more exclusive than the Type R and RS and sold very poorly, such as the 2017+ GT-R Nismo and the new NSX.
>The guess in the industry is that those people literally see an article or an ad for a new Lambo(or whatever) and they just buy one on an impulse.
The same thing happens on the bottom of the price spectrum too. When cars like the Focus RS and Civic Type R came out, people were gladly putting down $10k+ over MSRP (which was already around $35k) without ever leaving the lot, all for a souped up economy car. I don't think it has anything to do with having so much money that someone doesn't care, it's the auto enthusiast mindset of knowing exactly what you want.