Why Tesla’s Cars Are Selling Like Hotcakes Despite Major Flaws

The industry is saying, “This is the era of Tesla,” which is true. Tesla is making exceptional moves. The best-selling car worldwide in 2023 was Tesla’s Model Y. Tesla’s surge in sales performance, overtaking traditional automobile manufacturers with over a hundred years of history, surprised many.

Tesla’s flagship Model S was launched before the Model 3 launched in 2017 and the Model Y launched in 2020. The Model S, first launched in 2012, was very different from its current appearance. There was no self-driving function, and the air suspension, a symbol of luxury vehicles, was also missing. However, the Model S is the first electric vehicle to exceed 400 miles (approximately 644 km), considered the range of a typical gasoline vehicle. As each generation passed, advanced technologies such as dual motors and autopilot were installed. Tesla was reborn as a manufacturer that influenced the electric vehicle and the internal combustion engine market.

The Shadow of Success
Endless Quality Issues

As controversial as Tesla’s success is the quality issue. The gap-and-flush problem, which causes abnormal gaps and clearance between external components, is only a tiny problem. Quality problems are emerging, such as defective painting and malfunctioning dashboards and touch screens. It is said that overseas, there have even been accidents where the steering wheel came off while driving.

According to market research firm J.D. Power’s 2020 Initial Quality Survey (IQS), Tesla ranked last among 32 companies with 250 complaints per 100 vehicles. It is absurd to say that electric vehicles costing hundreds of thousands of dollars cause quality problems. However, despite endless quality defects, many consumers still purchase Tesla vehicles. It’s ironic. Why on earth?

There was no vehicle like this
Truly a new world

The causes of the Tesla Syndrome are diverse, but if we had to choose one thing, it would be innovation. In general, new companies are breaking stereotypes. It may have been difficult for an established, conservative automaker to break stereotypes, but it wasn’t that difficult for the relatively new Tesla.

Tesla has provided a new option in the car market, which can be stale. Unlike existing car manufacturers that only installed navigation, Tesla installed a large screen display in the center of the center fascia. The start button was also removed. In some models, even the gear and dashboard were incorporated into the central screen.

Supercharger and Autopilot
But It Needs Refinement

In addition, it expanded the distribution of superchargers and its charging network. It provided a new experience to many consumers by demonstrating acceleration performance at the level of an internal combustion engine supercar. Autopilot, a self-driving function, and Full Self Driving (FSD), a fully self-driving function, were also new worlds. In the case of Tesla’s Autopilot, Tesla is still at level 2 but is aiming for level 5, driverless self-driving, in the future.

Innovation and new experiences were combined well to create what Tesla is today. Satisfied consumers are willing to purchase vehicles, and Tesla is posting good sales results. However, most people are still familiar with internal combustion engine vehicles. Starting the car, shifting gears, and stopping at the gas station are familiar. It must possess basic automotive qualities to maintain leadership in the soon-to-come era of full electrification. Excellence always comes from the essence.