2023 Irish EV Sales

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550160#Comment_120550160

I think some of the advantages of Tesla are slightly limited in Ireland, and some of the disadvantages are exacerbated

The Supercharger network for example is excellent if you're travelling across Europe or the US, but it's less useful here because often you'd have enough battery to get to the destination without using them

Don't get me wrong, they're a great resource and way beyond any other network in terms of user experience, but they seem to come into their own when driving 1000km as opposed to 200km

The other issue I suspect is brand footprint. If I've a Tesla and it needs a service then I have to go to one of the most heavily trafficked areas of South Dublin, whereas I've got a VW, Kia, Peugeot, Ford and other brand dealers within a 5 mins drive from me. That does count for something when you have to organise a lift home from the service centre

Final issue I see with Tesla is their poor valuation of trade ins. A lot of folks have complained they're losing several thousand by trading in to Tesla when compared to another brand, and that difference can mean something like an ID.4 is suddenly cheaper than a Model Y

eagerv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550501#Comment_120550501

The Supercharger network for example is excellent if you're travelling across Europe or the US, but it's less useful here because often you'd have enough battery to get to the destination without using them

Depends very much where you live. I haven't had to use any other fast charging except SuC since I got my Model 3 March 2022. But I would have agreed somewhat with you before Belfast and Cork opened for my usage.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550538#Comment_120550538

Actually I'd forgotten about the Belfast and Cork SuC sites, so I'd say they're a lot more useful than I'd thought

But I agree it's very location dependent, and it also depends a lot on your driving habits. If you only drive more than 200km a couple of times per year then basically any EV will suit these days

Whereas a buyer in Germany is probably looking for a car they can take down to Italy or Spain without any issues with charging networks

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550501#Comment_120550501

2 interesting points raised there. In relation to servicing, isn't there a remote ranger service that will come to your house for certain repairs? Does this operate for servicing work?

I agree in relation to trade ins but that doesn't stop dealers / private sellers still looking for big money for used cars. Asking for €35k upwards is strongpeny for a 3 year old M3 outside basic warranty period. I know I've heard a number reasons proferred but I still can't understand how dealers are still pricing 2 and 3 year old M3s above the current new price

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550702#Comment_120550702

I'd be interested to hear from a few Tesla owners but my understanding is that the ranger service only operates in some areas, and obviously there's a limit to what they can fix then and there

eagerv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550716#Comment_120550716

Thought they operated throughout whole country, but I could be mistaken. In my area I think it's a Thursday..

They can do a lot more than I originally thought. Obviously something major, or bodywork repairs are not covered by Ranger. I have had the Ranger twice, once when new to fix a rear bumper misalignment and once to fit a new centre console. (Original sliding cover was sticking open and difficult to close).

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550800#Comment_120550800

What about routine servicing?

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550874#Comment_120550874

What routine servicing? The airfilter and brake fluid? Any Indy can do those.

eagerv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550874#Comment_120550874

Afaik routine servicing can be done by Ranger, but there is no schedule for servicing a Tesla. Most of the routine stuff such as tyres etc can naturally be done anywhere. Other stuff such as cabin filters can be done ones self.

Fingleberries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550160#Comment_120550160

I think a problem that Tesla has created for itself is that many people who might have previously considered buying the Model 3 are now buying the Model Y. Tesla also seem to be prioritising delivery of the Model Y, to Ireland at least.

Here are the Model Y stats for the same period:

brownej

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551066#Comment_120551066

Are Tesla prioritizing the Y over the 3 or are they just delivering whats ordered. Browsing the Tesla site there appears to be a significant amount of new car inventory "coming soon" for both the 3 and the Y. All be it twice as much Y as 3 inventory. There doesnt look to be a shortage of either.

sk8board

The Y is the 3’s biggest competitor for sure, which is a terrible situation for a car manufacturer with just 2 models. It’s more like 1.5 models. Even in the home US market, the Q1 sales for the 3 were dwarfed by the Y.

I don’t see how the Y deliveries are being prioritised, the cars leave the same plant and get on the same boats - also bear in mind that there have been no 3 deliveries since September, so the reality is just 190 deliveries in 7 months (there were 450 in September).

it’s literally a hair above nothing at all.

there’s a lot of Tesla inventory too, and rising. They’re making more cars than they can sell for the first time, which is what’s driving the price cuts. Volume over margins.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551066#Comment_120551066

It's a bit like saying people will buy a Kuga instead of a Mondeo

M3 and MY are 2 different cars made for 2 different types of people in my mind

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551123#Comment_120551123

Tesla are pretty good at flexing the manufacturing lines between both models so I'm not sure that the Model Y taking sales from the Model 3 is to their overall detriment

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550985#Comment_120550985

See I'd actually call that a point against Tesla, or at least against their marketing strategy (i.e. Musk's Twitter feed)

As a pleb, I didn't know about the rangers, or the lack of a requirement for dealership services to maintain warranty. If Tesla made that more obvious then I think it would swing more people over

I also think a lot of potential buyers don't want to deal with independent garages or doing stuff themselves. I know changing a pollen filter is pretty easy, but a lot of people don't want the hassle

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550985#Comment_120550985

So there is no requirement to 'service' the battery? Nissan requires the Leaf to have a battery health check carried out by dealer as part of the basic service.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551430#Comment_120551430

Should have added I have got the battery health check annually and Nissan dealer helpfully hands me a sheet of paper each time informing me the battery is healthy even though Leafspy is telling me its at 70.19% SOH and has weak cells🙄

eagerv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551430#Comment_120551430

Not that I know of.

innrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551451#Comment_120551451

Not required to maintain the warranty. There are recommended.

From the manual:

Battery health check is remote from the app.

sk8board

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551171#Comment_120551171

It’s definitely to their detriment when Tesla’s stated aim in their financial reporting is to prioritise volume over margins - they need to churn out the cars, and sell them at whatever prices gets them sold.

as tesla is not a manufacturer who sells into dealer networks and their vast holding yards, (which effectively works to hide excess inventory), they need to sell the cars they’re producing pretty quickly and the excess inventory is becoming very apparent, with analysts tracking it daily.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551577#Comment_120551577

I do feel that the inventory thing is a concern for Tesla but I also don't think it spells their imminent doom

I think I said it in another thread that I suspect the main driver of the high inventory is cost of living increases. People might have put a reservation down a few months ago and then dropped it as inflation and interest rates bit

Also if Tesla are dropping prices and you had a reservation, wouldn't there be a grain of sense in cancelling and then picking one up later from inventory at a cheaper price?

eagerv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551577#Comment_120551577

Tesla's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy through increasingly affordable electric vehicles in addition to renewable energy generation and storage.

I suppose making a good profit for the Shareholders would help as well....😉

innrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551634#Comment_120551634

They honour the new price. Similarly if the price is increasing they honour the lower price. Very few other companies do this.

n.d.os

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120547674#Comment_120547674

VW have a lot of loyal customers and to be honest when I bought my ID4, I didn't look at anything else. I do love it though and I still think it's a nicer car than the Enyaq.

Also, the ID4 looks like an EV and I think this appeals to a lot of people, particularly families who want something a bit interesting but not too flashy or in your face. The VW badge is safe, it's classless and it just works for a lot of people. You can spec a bog standard one and drive around offending no-one but also add some big alloys and privacy glass and cruise around in something that looks quite expensive on the road. I think that's always been the appeal of VW's. They make a car for everyone.

Knowing what I know now about EV's, i'm not sure if I would buy an ID4 again. I did move away from VAG entirely when buying a second EV for our family and I think the whole car landscape is changing now with Hyundai and Kia moving into VW's space. VW appear to be hanging onto their market share but I do think Audi will suffer in the long run as customers see more value in other brands who are offering more premium EVs at a better price.

Jog501

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550716#Comment_120550716

I just got something done in the mid West and he was saying he usually does the south East so I guess they cover the whole country at this stage. Also, just to add, writing a message on an app about a problem and having someone come to my door a few days later to fix it for no charge is quite a service!

MightyMunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551123#Comment_120551123

The sales of the Y are dwarfing most cars this year, best selling car in Europe in Q1 and best selling BEV by a country mile, nearly 4 times as many as the 3rd best seller. Oh and guess what was #2? That's right the Model 3. Think your prophecy of doom may be exaggerated.

Model 3 has not sold in huge numbers but pretty sure it's been in the top two selling saloons in Ireland for last few years, outselling all BMW, Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Toyota, Mercedes,Mazda saloons. Only the Octavia has sold better, and possibly the Corolla as not sure on the breakdown of saloons vs hatchbacks in their numbers.

n.d.os

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550501#Comment_120550501

You will loose money going back to Tesla but I think that's a given with the buy online model. Tesla don't want second hand cars sitting in the lot. They need to move them on to another dealer. I wonder if you traded a Tesla in against an ID4 would VW offer you more money for the Tesla than Tesla themselves?

Trade in values are poor at the moment as dealers are relying heavily on second hand car sales. There's a huge market for one and two year old cars at the moment and dealers want healthy margins on those cars to match struggling new car sales on some models from delayed supply. For that reason I think car trade in values have plateaued and will be consistently bad no matter where you go.

I had to laugh and walk out of Audi after they valued my three year old A1 last year. I wanted a new Audi at the time too.

sk8board

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552841#Comment_120552841

it’s the “2023 Irish EV sales” thread. Sheesh.

I’m only concerned about the Irish market. Everywhere else on the planet is of no concern. I’m also unconcerned about Tesla, they’ll do fine.

Tesla’s Irish sales numbers are simply a matter of fact.

talking about Teslas worldwide prospects is better done on the Tesla Talk thread

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120546813#Comment_120546813

VW Dealers giving decent trade in values against ID.4’s and plenty grant qualifying stock available definitely helping.

Jizique

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552282#Comment_120552282

Can everything not be fixed by OTA updates? And why would a newish car ever need to be fixed? My 4 year old Qashqai has never had any issue let alone have to wait days for some punter to come fix and it