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Why Tesla competitors will need more than affordability to take EV pioneer’s crown
Over the past several years, automotive manufacturers from all corners of the world have jumped head-first into electric vehicle production. In an attempt to catch Tesla, who has been recognized as the industry leader, car companies have tried all strategies, including undercutting pricing, but they’ll need much more than that to catch up.
Tesla’s most affordable vehicle is the Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3, which starts at $42,990 before incentives. It is far from the most affordable EV on the market, as several vehicles, both in production and planned for the future, have been marketed as the “Tesla Killers,” a term that was widely put to rest a few years ago.
There is no Tesla Killer, unfortunately, because those vehicles wouldn’t even exist if Tesla wasn’t around. They’re purely thoughts and eventual products of any automotive company because of Tesla’s mass influence on the automotive market.
Unfortunately, the angle that these car companies have come up with is, “If it’s cheaper than a Tesla, then people will buy it.”
But there’s a reason the 2023 Nissan Versa, which is priced at $15,730, isn’t the most popular car in the world: consumers want more than a nice, low price tag.
-->Customers take a lot of things into consideration: looks, features, technology, range, performance, and quality are just a few metrics that car buyers take into account when buying a new car.
When I read some of these headlines about cars that are expected to be the next big thing in the EV sector, it always seems to have something to do with price. But it goes much further than that.
Nearly 50% of 2017-19 Chevy Bolt EVs have been remedied after battery fire recall
In the EV sector today, Tesla still maintains a sizeable lead in terms of sales by model. The Model Y sold 251,974 times last year in the U.S., according to Kelley Blue Book data. The Model 3 was sold 211,618 times. The Model S recorded 32,675 sales, and the Model X had 26,121.
Even the Model X managed to outsell things like the Kia Niro, the Hyundai Ioniq, and the Volkswagen ID.4, despite being Tesla’s most expensive car and least popular model.
-->Why? There are many factors to EV ownership. The charging network might be the biggest influence, and Tesla dominates in that realm. It also holds a considerable advantage in technology, range, and performance.
Of course, looks are subjective, so it is not worth commenting on. But even if the best-looking car out there drove and operated like a piece of crap, nobody would want it.
Tesla’s advantages lie in places that are far past affordability. As previously mentioned, it goes past price and goes much deeper into what the company offers in terms of a variety of other metrics that make a car truly enjoyable to own.
Companies have long struggled with adequate charging, software, and other things that are hard to solve. It’s not an overnight fix, and Tesla may have much more experience in terms of having a car operate more like a phone than a vehicle. It will take time, and it will come around to these car companies on how to solve these issues.
But make no mistake, Tesla won’t be dethroned by cheaper options alone. Only if these cheaper options also offer superior software and adequate charging infrastructure, along with many other things, will Tesla be beaten.
-->I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
News
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands.
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.
Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun.
“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website.
-->This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
News
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month.
Tesla’s sales momentum in China strengthened in November, with wholesale volumes rising to 86,700 units, reversing a slowdown seen in October.
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month. This was partly driven by tightened delivery windows, targeted marketing, and buyers moving to secure vehicles before changes to national purchase tax incentives take effect.
Tesla’s November rebound coincided with a noticeable spike in Model Y interest across China. Delivery wait times extended multiple times over the month, jumping from an initial 2–5 weeks to estimated handovers in January and February 2026 for most five-seat variants. Only the six-seat Model Y L kept its 4–8 week estimated delivery timeframe.
The company amplified these delivery updates across its Chinese social media channels, urging buyers to lock in orders early to secure 2025 delivery slots and preserve eligibility for current purchase tax incentives, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Tesla also highlighted that new inventory-built Model Y units were available for customers seeking guaranteed handovers before December 31.
This combination of urgency marketing and genuine supply-demand pressure seemed to have helped boost November’s volumes, stabilizing what had been a year marked by several months of year-over-year declines.
-->For the January–November period, Tesla China recorded 754,561 wholesale units, an 8.30% decline compared to the same period last year. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory continues to operate as both a domestic production base and a major global export hub, building the Model 3 and Model Y for markets across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, among other territories.
Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.
“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Short, and was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”
Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation
For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.
Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.
While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.
Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.
In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.
Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.
It closed at $430.14 on Monday.
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
