The 25 Bestselling Cars, Trucks, and SUVs of 2023 (So Far)

[akirby]

24 minutes ago, Rick73 said:

 

IMO what is considered luxurious could be shifting from opulence to functionality.  I think that’s where Tesla has an advantage based on reputation for being the best and most advanced electric vehicle, though Mercedes seems to be doing a lot of R&D to change that perception.

Not really.  Design tastes are changing but luxury is still defined as high quality materials and design.  Real wood, high quality leather, expensive amenities like massaging seats, cameras, remote apps, high end graphics, adjustable suspensions and in some cases superior performance.
 

From that perspective Tesla is more Ford platinum than Mercedes.

[silvrsvt]

Don't discount the stupidity/don't know any better factor either with Tesla. People are paying a certain price point for a product and think it is X...so they assume Tesla is luxury, when it really isn't. IMO they are like Ikea-decent stuff but it reaks of being cheap because its so basic vs what other people have done. The Tesla S I was in had more squeeks in it then my SHO I owned at the time and the quailty wasn't great-lots of gap and some lose parts on it. The model 3 my brother in law has is just cheap looking/basic inside. 

[Rick73]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

Not really.  Design tastes are changing but luxury is still defined as high quality materials and design.

That’s your  definition, and probably the one still used by auto industry, but not necessarily one that will remain constant over time, or what Tesla buyers consider luxury.  As one example, to me “high quality materials and design” has very little to do with real wood or real leather, both which I happen to hate after owning them, and would pay extra for manufacturer to delete if that were possible (not that it is).  A simple, clean, minimalist design done well looks more luxurious to me.  I’m not sure how “functionality” and “luxury” interact in a vehicle, but expect Tesla has found a happy middle ground for their intended customers, who are probably not average or traditional to start with.  Using old labels may be pointless with Tesla.

[bzcat]

Most buyers don't care whether a car brand is tier 1 or whatevers. Certain brands have captured audience - e.g. Acura buyers are overwhelmingly Honda owners while others live and die by conquest because they don't have a deep pool of existing owners to rely on loyalty - e.g. Infiniti or Jaguar. 

 

Tesla is unique in that it is often buyer's first EV (which requires mindspace shift) so the buyer is predisposed to switch brands. We saw the same phenomenon when SUV became the main seller for luxury brands and that benefited marginal brands like Lincoln that pivoted to selling mainly (or only) SUVs. If a buyer was going to switch bodystyle, they are also more likely to switch brands. Now imagine you are coming from a ICE luxury sedan and thinking about switching to an EV SUV... there is significant chance you will switch brands and Tesla is there waiting for you.

 

So what you are seeing in the markets for luxury brand now is basically that the brands that formerly leased a lot of luxury sedans/coupe/convertibles (e.g. Audi, BMW, Mercedes) are having trouble holding on their customers when they switch to EV SUV. And there is no doubt that luxury segments are going rapidly to EVs. And not just in the US but all over the world. 

[akirby]

48 minutes ago, Rick73 said:

That’s your  definition, and probably the one still used by auto industry, but not necessarily one that will remain constant over time, or what Tesla buyers consider luxury.  As one example, to me “high quality materials and design” has very little to do with real wood or real leather, both which I happen to hate after owning them, and would pay extra for manufacturer to delete if that were possible (not that it is).  A simple, clean, minimalist design done well looks more luxurious to me.  I’m not sure how “functionality” and “luxury” interact in a vehicle, but expect Tesla has found a happy middle ground for their intended customers, who are probably not average or traditional to start with.  Using old labels may be pointless with Tesla.

You’re confusing personal preferences and popularity and design choices with objective cost and sensory differences.

 

Real wood and leather costs more than fake wood and leather and some types of wood and leather are much more expensive than others.  Thick carpet and more sound deadening is more expensive.  More speakers and more amp power is more expensive.  Adjustable suspensions are more expensive.

 

Now tastes may be changing to a more minimalist design and away from some materials that were previously considered luxury.  But that doesn’t make that luxury just because it’s popular.

 

 

[Deanh]

7 hours ago, akirby said:

True.  But with those brands introducing BEVs with FAR more luxury than a Tesla I see it swinging back.

 

Both of these are $100k BEVs.  Which one is the luxury vehicle?

 

 

god that steering wheel is a yoke, but I do like the design simplicity ( until one finds out EVERYTHING is controlled in an absurd manner through the screen) ....and MAN is that Benz interior something special....

[Captainp4]

To me, the Benz interior looks like it's trying too hard to be "luxury" and just looks busy/cluttered - regardless of materials used.

And fwiw, I don't necessarily consider Tesla luxury either (even though I argued earlier that many do), but I do like the simplicity of them.

Either way, it's all personal preference and I bet the manufacturers don't care who considers what what as long as they're selling cars and making money.