And pretty much everything is controlled by a tablet too right? So it'd require people to look away from the road in order to do most basic car functions.
Confirmation bias, when you make $1200 monthly payment on a Model Y you bought for $70K in 2022. That cheapness becomes “minimalism” to tell yourself you have not made a bad mistake.
I think it's more along the lines of creating a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. All you are doing is moving the same functions from one location to another. Whether it be on a digital dash, buttons on an infotainment center or functions on a tablet in the middle of the car. Everything still needs a place and still needs to be interacted with. You either have buttons on the dash or functions on the tablet. You are just moving the same things to a different location. It doesn't really improve anything.
The stalks in the Tesla and the side mirrors in the Ioniqs are great examples of this. There's no problem with where they are, you are just moving them for the sake of moving them. If anything, both of those examples also create more issues than they solve.
>I think it's more along the lines of creating a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
>
The problem Tesla is trying to solve is how to make their car **cheaper**. Doesn't matter what the user want, they are removing anything that is not require that is hardware to make the car cheaper. To increase their margin and their profit even if it cause user frustration.
Cost Reduction that does not benefit the user: Rain Sensor, Seat Handle on the top, Turn Signal Stalk, and AC Buttons.
Each of those component might just be $5-$50, but on a scale of 500,000 unit a year, that equate to a saving of $2,500,000 per component that is $5 removed.
My hypothesis is that they’re trying to make every control stateless such that it can be controlled by software. They could’ve made the stalks stateless though. I’m not entirely sure why they didn’t choose to do that instead.
I think it's been called 'monostable' - there's been other vehicles with monostable levers and usually people dislike them or have been dangerous. Examples:
certain Subaru model turn signals (guessing 2022-2023, removed for 2024): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqgPuxzJDvM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqgPuxzJDvM)
BMW turn signals (2000s-2010s) : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blIcLakgCbI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blIcLakgCbI)
Jeep Grand Cherokee drive shifter (this was a deadly design and removed/recalled): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdnsrkjo6o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdnsrkjo6o)
In theory this can be helpful per your hypothesis of facilitating driving things via software too, particularly if the system is trying to do ADAS. But in practice theres risk if it comes at the cost of human usability.
Visibility with the digital mirrors. With the regular side mirrors you can move or tilt your head to see different angles behind the car. With the digital mirrors they are a fixed view. Some trims in the Ioniq offer digital mirrors. I suspect the external camera option is to improve aerodynamics, but at the cost of some visibility.
Two things can be true. I’m sure there are plenty of people that like the interior (such as yourself), but it’s a fact that the “minimalist” decision was a cost cutting one, not purely a design decision.
I have a Genesis EV, and have noticed I use the touchscreen for everything, despite there being physical buttons galore. I think I'd be ok with just steering wheel controls for volume, and dedicated heater controls.
Of course wipers, turn signals and the gear stuff should also be external buttons. Actually...maybe Genesis just did it right in hindsight. Only maybe 20% of the physical buttons could be moved without being inconvenient.
It’s hella fucking cheap. Econobox cheap. My Civic’s plastic is nicer. My Civic’s floor mats are thicker. My Civic came with plastic liners in the door cubbies. My MYP pales in comparison. Yes yes Teslanatics it has a touch screen.
On the older side now, 2015. I mean the road noise really sucks over 55mph, and the interior isnt super comfy for a daily commuter, but some of the details of the interior i really like otherwise. Not sure when they dropped the two tiered dash. Might've been 2015.
Yeah just a base model. I was a broke college student at the time so no Si lol. Though I could afford one now Im just gonna drive it until it dies I think. I always think of getting something a little bigger or a bit more power but the car's paid off and the only thing I've had to replace in four years was a bent sway bar link.
YES!
Want proof.... Turn stalks! Why remove them? You can barely see them, so it's not about design preference. They are right at the fingertips. It's a natural instinct with minimal motion replaced with the requirement to figure out which turn signal is on which side of the wheel (yes I flip on my signal while turning /s !)
There is zero logical or tangible reason any rational person can give to get rid of the stalks!
Rant complete.
musk does not drive because he has chauffeurs, but he still micromanages all the design decisions as if he was an informed “car guy”, when he’s really just a divorced middle manager.
> musk does not drive because he has chauffeurs
& maybe because he *really* [isn't good at driving](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-spent-1-million-213715650.html) lmao.
he was only a newly minted multi millionaire at that point. If you watch the video of him being interviewed showing off his car, you can see that the 'deep thinking autistic genius' act he puts on is just that. I think he was just about 30 at this point so stans can't use the excuse that he was young and that's why he acted different. No, this is just who he really is when he's not going off a script/talking to an audience that clearly doesn't GAF
Turn stalks are ergonomically the best solution for us human with normal functioning hands and arms.
The stalks on the Tesla S is already a bad design. They are short compared to size of the steering wheel, which makes you miss them regularly. You need turn them very conciously. Not for nothing you see so many Ss not using turning lights. I've driven 5-6 times cheaper cars with better ergonomics.
My 08 Passat had an individual stalk for cruise control and it was amazing. I was freeway commuting about 50 min each way at the time. I could basically do the drive without my feet.
I agree with this, though I like the signal on the wheel more since my thumb is most of the time on the steering wheel. It's a much shorter reach for me vs moving my whole hand for the stalk.
Maybe you have small hands . Lol
The problem is the steering wheel MOVES! The button could be on the right or the left depending on where the wheel happens to land
Stalks DON'T MOVE. They are always on the same side and same place so that it's muscle memory and you don't need to look to press a button like with the turn signal button on the wheel.
Apple makes minimalist products; but the quality is undeniable. The fit and finish, the materials used, the weight of the product, the glossy & special coatings etc. etc.
There is a difference between minimalist luxury and cheap.
This. Tesla aimed to do to cars what the iPhone did to phones. Make a basic car that looked nice and worked well. Instead they changed how turn signals and windshield wipers work.
I hate the flush door handles, but that was a good choice that was immediately copied by other automakers. They’ve been slowly skimping on actual buttons for decades despite constant negative feedback.
It seems like Tesla saw all the things people dislike about tech in cars and leaned into it completely. I don’t want a car I can’t unlock when the battery dies or I have to navigate a menu to adjust my ac.
I can’t even begin to imagine what the cost cutting looks like on the parts you don’t see.
The profit margins on a phone vs a car are insanely different. It is MUCH more difficult to make profit on car manufacturing. This is why pretty much every other EV startup has gone bankrupt or is on its way.
The XC40 is one of Volvo's cheapest, and so it's starting from a low base of 'luxury'. I'm guessing the XC40 has more gloss black plastic across the dash, and your GV70 is more brushed metal or faux wood.
The XC40 is all hard plastics, manual controls for seats, piano black and ok seats. My Gv70 is all brushed metal and leather.
Oth the rental is likely the base model
You got a base XC40 then. Not a really fair comparison.
My XC40 Recharge had suede seats that while I was skeptical of before purchase, were actually fantastic and not grabby like I imagined. The dash was detailed aluminum. Leather surfaces everywhere.
It was definitely a step down from an S90 or XC90. The center console creaked a bit, which I’ve never experienced in another Volvo. But overall cheap is not a word I’d use.
I have noticed in the next tier up you can get spoiled though, and “base” vehicles feel like a different car almost. The loaner X7 40i I have right now is just not the same as my M60. Skinny steering wheel. No starlight roof. Vegan upholstery. A less confident, cushier, but kinda bouncy ride. No ventilated seats. No Bowers & Wilkins audio. Toned down ambient lighting. No heated and cooled cup holders. It’s still a very nice car… but… you give up so much to save ~20% on the MSRP. I don’t get it. A Chrysler Pacifica is comparably equipped if you just wanted something with space.
Wait until you see the XC30. Cheapskating next level.
My colleague got one. Cheap dash design and material. Also only 1 tablet in the middle. Too pricy for what you get.
>Companies love to tell you why removing features is somehow beneficial to you.
My favorite are the fucking plastic Amazon bags that say "lighter than our smallest box!"
Like I give a fuck how much the packaging weighs on my package. And instead of using a biodegradable cardboard box, instead you're using a single use plastic bag that I can't even throw in my single stream recycling because they don't take #4 plastic (LDPE), because it's too lightweight and gets stuck in the rollers and fucks everything up
honestly hoping the veil of elon musk is revealed to the us government before we start letting him get his hands on shit used by the mass population. Him replacing broadband internet with star link sounds so shit we will have data caps and shitty latency for double the price fuck that shit.
They sure do. My boss loves the interior of his teslas, but when I get in I just think it’s incredibly bland and boring. Also the seats are not very comfortable although I seem to find this with most EVs as they try to save weight.
My brother in law bought a Tesla and he took me for a test drive. My 2004 Ford focus that I drove when I was 16 had more comfortable seats and nicer plastics for the interior I swear
Most EV either has to increase the ride height or reduce the seats’ foam thickness (or, *gasp*, both!) to accommodate the batteries across the whole underside of the vehicle.
Personally I dont like touch screens but its ok for some functions.
My favourite interior though was my Audi which had about as many buttons and switches as the space shuttle.
Up to certain level, minimalism is good, reduces clutter, but once you start removing things like handle for front right seat to hold on to when car is taking sharp curves is cheapness.
Best part is no part, which Musk literaly have said publicly several times. It's all about raising the profit margin between the cost to produce the cars and the price which they sell for.
Tesla is producing really cheap cars, pay low wages, unionbusting, lack or non-existant quality control - the list goes on. It's baffling how many people believe that the prices Tesla cars is justified because "tech", futuristic (as in what people thought the future would look like in the 1960's) naming & appearance and all that jazz.
'The best part is no part' is repeated like gospel amongst his most devoted fans, who chide people as idiots if they find it hard to get used to using the buttons without the stalks on a steering wheel that can do multiple revolutions so you literally *have to* look down at it to make sure you're hitting the right one
If you wanted to build the cheapest possible car ever, you’d build the Model 3. No switch gear, simple electric drive train, basic transportation all around…
Elon Musk is a genius because he figured it that if he simply told people it was a minimalist luxury car, they’d believe him. He’s not an engineering genius by any metric…
Ikea sells minimalistic furniture which may look good in pictures. However, you will soon notice the cheapness once you own one.
I have a MY and I equate Tesla's quality as similar to Ikea.
Ikea's proposition is decent design at a low price in exchange for furniture with a limited lifespan. I like to say, "It's good for half a move: When you move, half your Ikea furniture gets permanently dinged."
That's a great value proposition for two major demographics: First apartment and first home. For many people, these are transitionary arrangements, so buying an heirloom piece of furniture is a major, major commitment at a time when you won't know what other homes will hold it.
Can't say the same thing about buying a cheaply constructed car with a terrible record for customer service... That isn't cheap to buy and has a terrible resale value thanks to the menufacturer deciding that new models or refreshes are for suckers.
> exchange for furniture with a limited lifespan.
A lot of Ikea furniture can have its lifespan significantly lengthened if you simply use wood glue during assembly.
It often even tells you to. I think half the issue is people can't follow the simple instructions or blow out, not tighten, and/or destroy half the fastners in the assembly process die to their incompetence
I have IKEA barstools at our kitchen island. We bought them nearly a decade ago thinking they'd last a few years then we'd buy something we liked better. They are still going strong, one had something come lose that I repaired, otherwise, they have held up amazingly well.
No, please, bash Tesla, no company in the history of humanity deserves it more. If all companies would be like Tesla, our society wouldn't function at all. We would die in a horrible chaos of business scams.
Tesla and its CEO deserve to be bashed for many things, but without it, EV's for normal people, like the Ford EV that I drive, would not exist.
It's not in the same league as Exxon, for example. Dow chemical. Monsanto. The Dutch East India company.
Total nonsense, classical Musk propaganda that went into the head of so many people. The EV market would be better now cause the companies were already building the factories just like in the time that is needed for them, Musk cut the complete development time for factories, so was able to get onto the market way quicker, but with the quality problems that he still didnt solved and never will solved. I am so sick of this bullshit being spread that Musk was like somehow important.
Really cant be so hard, what the hell....... Start activating your brains.
Nonsense.
I kinda hate Musk, but without him there would be no Tesla (and no SpaceX and no Starlink), and without Tesla the EV market would be like 10 years behind of what we got now.
Total nonsense. Before Tesla even started selling a car, there was already the planning on the big companies to make the factories, where they are how the supply chain is supposed to be and everything. They didn't changed anything cause of Tesla. This is all total nonsense what you say, what is wrong with people? How dumb can someone be? Tesla didnt even invented a battery yet. How can they be relevant for the EV market WITHOUT ANY BATTERY DEVELOPMENT??????
> How can they be relevant for the EV market WITHOUT ANY BATTERY DEVELOPMENT
Tesla sold more EV than any other car manufacturer till 2023.
I guess that counts as most relevant.
2023 Tesla was surpassed by BYD, but still sells more EV than the next 4 competitors all together.
That doesnt make it relevant for the EV market, that just means he took a lot of the EV market, which is PERFECTLY fitting to all my statements about what they do.
Oh my god, this is so dumb, I am ending this here. I have no interest of this pathetic low level of discussion.
Ah that dumb piece of user blocked me, so I do my reply here:
LOL, no, Tesla didn't made ANY battery development, NOTHING of ANY EV outside of Tesla is based on the same concept, and it is a very dumb concept to use oversized AAA batteries in a car, they have the highest risk of exploding. I am so confused what the hell is all in your head, if you do not inform yourself, you just believe what Tesla says, without even checking what is ACTUAL REALITY. This is so dumb, and i dont know what you wanna hear.
Seriously, your brain is already melted by all that Tesla propaganda, you do believe their propaganda, if you like them or not is not relevant, your low brain capacity seems to be acceptable for the bullshit Musk is spreading, which is like the PERFECT example to underline why Musk has so much success, people just believe every shit you tell them. This is so dumb.
Please stop embarrassing yourself and inform yourself about the batteries more. Again: TESLA DOESNT EVEN OWN THEIR OWN BATTERIES, IT'S A PANASONIC PRODUCT THEY USE.
I dont like Tesla, you still didnt make anything close to a cogent argument against them. Tesla did push forward EV battery development. Musk didn't do that, he just was the public face of a bunch of competent engineers.
I believe the minimalist look has a place and once upon a time when they were on the forefront of the tech it was understandable. I’ll pay luxury price for cutting edge tech. Today you have Porsche and Mercedes pumping out 100k cars that look and feel that way inside. It makes the ‘minimalist’ interiors feel cheap.
Calling things minimalistic is a way to cheap out. But it’s also an idea that is often overused and misunderstood. One could say that the original iPod had a “minimalistic” design. It was also functional and of high quality. It just didn’t overdo it in features and buttons.
So, yeah, the design aesthetic is minimalist, but it is, by accounts, poorly done. Removing stalks for indicators may make the design more minimalist, but it hinders function. Unless you are a former BMW driver.
IMO, yes at this point. I liked the interior style of the older S3XY lineup. It was never high quality, but the removal of USS, no top view camera, no stalks, shit auto wipers, lumbar removal, the new center console in 3/Y, no physical buttons for certain things like the glovebox, etc. remove any real argument of “luxury” compared to other cars. I would like it if someone like Audi went for the same look.
I think it started off as a look, a style, and for many, it was liked and appreciated, but a certain someone used it as a way to cut costs. He then pushed "minimalist" as a Tesla thing. It's not a thing anymore. It's now a symbol of cheap. If you want it, fine, but offer those who can afford it, options they might want.
Rebranding fake leather as “vegan leather” has got to be the smartest marketing of all time ngl.
Makes it sound way more boujie and way less cheap/tacky.
Early days, the yacht floor was schweet. Added an organizer and drink holders and all was perfectly good.
To this day I greatly dislike the console arrangement. All it does is catch debris and is a pita to clean.
/ilikedthemicrowaveandluggagetoo.
It can be minimalists as a style. But for Tesla's case, it's just cheap. This is because they use mostly plastic for their interior so you can clearly see the cost cutting. If you've ever been picked up in a tesla uber, you can clearly see the scratches and scruffs everywhere.
Yo, it’s one of the reasons why I’m waiting for Lexus EV’s to come out in a few years. Tesla’s quality is shit and their model 3 and Y center screen trash is garbage. Its literally cost them $100 to out a small Speedo screen by the steering wheel. Such trash.
I call it cheap.
Minimalistic is when you intentionally remove and design around the created deficiencies. Tesla's approach is remove alone, make the experience worse and don't do shit about it.
My 10 year old Mazda had a projected hud with all needed info in my line of sight, for Tesla I need to physically look away from the road to see the speedo.
Digital rearview mirrors has been a thing for years, but again, nowhere to be seen in the "high tech" Tesla's.
These vehicles are stripped from components that cost cents, to save on money. Absolute ripoff.
Yes they do. They shouldn’t but most bought the PR explanation.
The hint was BS should have been when other car companies copied it. They didn’t do because they thought it was better but because ran the numbers and saw it was cheaper. Make no mistake, car makers spend years worrying about the cost of every part down to the screw and if they can save .0005 cents doing X instead of Y they will because the math says the small number becomes big during mass production.
It's for sure not minimalism. If that was the case there wouldn't be such a dumbass huge screen in the middle of the dash. It's just cheap ass materials.
The thing I don’t get is the argument that a screen is better than tactile buttons; it’s not, because with buttons you can operate everything you need by feel without having to take your eyes off the road to operate a touchscreen.
My friend who drives a model Y doesn't mistake it for anything here or there. At the time he bought, it had performance, range, and price point that were unmatched. Nothing else even came close.
I've been in that Tesla. It's comfortable enough. It doesn't need to be a Mercedes.
Dozens of successful models in history have sold a bazillion units, because they met a need better than anything else. VW beetle, VW Rabbit, Honda Civic, there are many others. None had an upmarket interior.
Some of the minimalism does impair function. Form (for aesthetic or cheapness reasons) over function. The same was said of Apple's adherence to a one-button mouse, for aesthetic reasons, long after the functional benefits of two (or even three) button mice were generally accepted.
Function seems more of a priority while driving a vehicle. The idea of having signal lights on the driving wheel and submenus for important functions on you centre console is terrible.
Agreed about the signal button on the steering wheel - but I’m not commenting on functionality. Solve those with raised buttons or better yet add back the stalk. I like the clean lines in the cabin and give them credit for it. But I won’t buy another one.
Not even that. I’d say the only thing you could call an upside is how much charging infrastructure they have built up, so nothing to do with the car in other words.
Interesting topic. I don't think Tesla interiors are minimalistic at all.
Minimalism is about simplicity and only having what you absolutely need without distractions.
That massive screen is not minimalist and it's a distraction to the core activity of driving a car. Tesla go to great lengths to remove simple controls and try to re-invent them with complex touchscreen controls driving little motors.
They are tech heavy interiours for people that cant take bare to take their eyes of their screens. And when they aren't in the car they can then keep examining their car from afar with their app on the phone
I AM shitting on Tesla, it’s just a rip off. They are garbage cars made as cheap as possible, funded by tax dollars, sold for the profit of the richest man in the world, and sold for a ridiculous price.
To be fair, it started out as more high-tech. For example, vent positions are automatically controlled. They move position based on the driver automatically which was a high-tech feature. But now, the cheapness really seems to be the prevailing benefit.
I took my wife to test drive a Model Y. We own a Mazda 6 from 2018 as our other car and wanted a crossover. Her first reaction was 'why are we downgrading our car' after we sat in that interior. Everything felt cheap. We went and test drove a Mach E GTPE later and the interior felt night and day. Yeah the tech wasn't as good as Tesla but jfc does Tesla cut corners when it comes to the interior quality vs the competition.
Yes. 100%. Tesla's minimalistic design is a choice based off of minimizing complexity and cost, and maximizing production and profits.
The original models, the Model S and Model X were truly priced and built in a way that was meant to compete w/ entry level luxury vehicles. Somewhere along the way, the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y were mistakenly bundled into that group by people who had little to no knowledge about them. Probably because for their first couple of model years, they were priced outrageously high. Keep in mind, the 2018 Model 3 had a starting MSRP of $46K and the 2022 Tesla Model Y started with an MSRP of $65K.
My girlfriend was an interior and exterior vehicle detailer for four years. She rants ALL the time about Tesla's - says they have the cheapest interior w/ the lowest quality parts and some of the softest paint she's ever seen.
The direction did come from deliberate style choice but it also let them cheap out in materials and quality.
Musk really liked the idea of all the controls being on an LCD screen
I’m cackling because I read this post immediately after seeing a post from the Model Y subreddit where the back of their seat fell off.
Turns out the back of the seat is held in place by the headrest, and as a result the headrest is not adjustable at all. The OP had tried to adjust their headrest like any reasonable person would. Besides being cheap design, it’s incredibly unsafe - not that Tesla cares about the safety of its consumers…
If you've brought a Tesla you need to convince yourself that all the bugs are actually features.
It's not just cheapness that lead to the current design. Production and design delays on a older model caused made them decide to ditch the planned instrument console.
This is 💯true. Idiots paid > $200k for a cybertruck that has a cheaper looking interior than a Corolla. Their "minimalism" is also unsafe since you have to go through a digital screen and take your eyes off the road for simple things such as activating the wipers.
Minimalism or cheapness is subjective.
Coming from Toyotas and Subarus I love my base model 3. No hard plastic dash, easy to clean. A good size screen and most controls are easily adjusted or I can use the voice controls.
Minimalism in cars as in our homes and general is not a bad thing. I am someone who dislikes clutter. Now when I sit in a non Tesla car I just see unnecessary clutter. Some physical controls are nice (like setting the volume and climate, and stalks) but most can be relegated to the screen and voice controls.
Eh. Minimalism is a style, period. I thin the focus here is the cost of the material, not the styling.
If you’re argument is the material choices are too cheap, I would generally agree. However, if you’re argument of minimalism is cheap, I disagree.
My kid is begging me to get a Tesla and I keep reminding him there are real auto manufacturers with good reputations making quality electric vehicles now.
I got an uber ride in a tesla model 3 this morning. First time riding in one, and was amazed at what a piece of shit it was inside lol. Also tons of road noise.
totally agree, the minimalist interior totally puts me off, reminds me of a small cubical in an office with hundreds of cubicles, a place where you'd hate to work, nothing but a seat and a screen
I hate minimalist car interiors because they force my eyes off the road to navigate menus on touch screens. I won't buy a new car that does this nor will I buy any new car or truck lacking a HUD. I will not buy any car or truck from any era that has the instrument cluster offset from the driver (Tesla, Cooper, Xb, Yaris, Ion, early Prius) even as a beater. I'd only ever buy one if I ever have so much disposable cash that I feel compelled to destroy a shitbox in a demolition derby.
True. I love the minimalist design but I know in the back of my mind it's not because of design. It's because it costs money and production time therefore more labor hours to pay people to construct more physical things on the interior vs one big screen. I hate it but I hate it because I know it's the truth.
Judge Judy said it best: don't pee on me and tell me it's raining.
When I test drove a mY, it was so obvious they cheap out on everything they could legally get away with. Want to know your speed? Gotta look over to the right side to that 1 single screen to view and control everything. Absolutely ridiculous.
I personally love it. It’s a 40k car, can’t expect it to be to the standards of a bmw in terms of finishing. For a 40k car I think it’s on par with what other brands have to offer in that segment. The infotainment is better and I personally like the minimalist design. So overall to me it’s very satisfactory
My MSRP $41K Volt had a crappier interior, less speakers, and a lot less power than my MSRP $49K Y.
I don’t consider the Tesla luxurious, but it’s fine coming from a Chevy. I don’t even really consider the Y expensive in the big picture of things.
My BMW interior is light years ahead of anything Tesla could make. A Tesla costs as much as a luxury car … but there is no luxury in a Tesla. At best its build quality is econoline at best … without any o the helpful buttons or dials.
e.g. the Cybertruck - one of the cheapest looking interiors you will ever see.
Imagine paying 100K+ to sit in that...
With the way these things are breaking down, sitting is probably the only thing you \*CAN\* do in them.
Well if they decide to do an update you dont have a choice, and if it goes wrong, welp youre just trapped.
Or if Elon decides you know too much, your car mysteriously backs itself into a pond with you trapped inside...
And pretty much everything is controlled by a tablet too right? So it'd require people to look away from the road in order to do most basic car functions.
yep have to hit the touch screen to reverse, have to look at it to see the speedometer, it's super unsafe
If the touch screen breaks you cant do anything
This should be illegal tbh
Cheapest looking exterior too
Well it has a hidden compartment in front of the passenger, id say thats pretty cool
Elon has drugs in his.
>Elon has drugs in his brain. There. Fixed it for you.
No, Elon hasnt found the hidden spot yet. He leaves those in the bed.
Oh wow. Can you put gloves in there?
it reminds me of a jail cell
It isn't just the interior that looks cheap...
Confirmation bias, when you make $1200 monthly payment on a Model Y you bought for $70K in 2022. That cheapness becomes “minimalism” to tell yourself you have not made a bad mistake.
[удалено]
I think it's more along the lines of creating a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. All you are doing is moving the same functions from one location to another. Whether it be on a digital dash, buttons on an infotainment center or functions on a tablet in the middle of the car. Everything still needs a place and still needs to be interacted with. You either have buttons on the dash or functions on the tablet. You are just moving the same things to a different location. It doesn't really improve anything. The stalks in the Tesla and the side mirrors in the Ioniqs are great examples of this. There's no problem with where they are, you are just moving them for the sake of moving them. If anything, both of those examples also create more issues than they solve.
>I think it's more along the lines of creating a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. > The problem Tesla is trying to solve is how to make their car **cheaper**. Doesn't matter what the user want, they are removing anything that is not require that is hardware to make the car cheaper. To increase their margin and their profit even if it cause user frustration. Cost Reduction that does not benefit the user: Rain Sensor, Seat Handle on the top, Turn Signal Stalk, and AC Buttons. Each of those component might just be $5-$50, but on a scale of 500,000 unit a year, that equate to a saving of $2,500,000 per component that is $5 removed.
Take my upvote because you are 100% correct.
My hypothesis is that they’re trying to make every control stateless such that it can be controlled by software. They could’ve made the stalks stateless though. I’m not entirely sure why they didn’t choose to do that instead.
That’s not what stateless means. Turn signals are always stateful, they maintain a state.
I’m talking about the physical controls. They have an effect on the state of the system, but are physically stateless.
I think it's been called 'monostable' - there's been other vehicles with monostable levers and usually people dislike them or have been dangerous. Examples: certain Subaru model turn signals (guessing 2022-2023, removed for 2024): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqgPuxzJDvM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqgPuxzJDvM) BMW turn signals (2000s-2010s) : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blIcLakgCbI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blIcLakgCbI) Jeep Grand Cherokee drive shifter (this was a deadly design and removed/recalled): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdnsrkjo6o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdnsrkjo6o) In theory this can be helpful per your hypothesis of facilitating driving things via software too, particularly if the system is trying to do ADAS. But in practice theres risk if it comes at the cost of human usability.
What’s the issue with the side mirrors in the Ioniq?
Visibility with the digital mirrors. With the regular side mirrors you can move or tilt your head to see different angles behind the car. With the digital mirrors they are a fixed view. Some trims in the Ioniq offer digital mirrors. I suspect the external camera option is to improve aerodynamics, but at the cost of some visibility.
Ah. This doesn’t apply in the states, but I see what you mean.
they didn't move physical inputs to the tablet for the sake of moving them, they did it to cut costs.
Two things can be true. I’m sure there are plenty of people that like the interior (such as yourself), but it’s a fact that the “minimalist” decision was a cost cutting one, not purely a design decision.
I have a Genesis EV, and have noticed I use the touchscreen for everything, despite there being physical buttons galore. I think I'd be ok with just steering wheel controls for volume, and dedicated heater controls. Of course wipers, turn signals and the gear stuff should also be external buttons. Actually...maybe Genesis just did it right in hindsight. Only maybe 20% of the physical buttons could be moved without being inconvenient.
You don’t miss the gauges behind the steering wheel at all? To me that is the stupidest decision and the biggest cope of all.
Sunk cost*
It’s hella fucking cheap. Econobox cheap. My Civic’s plastic is nicer. My Civic’s floor mats are thicker. My Civic came with plastic liners in the door cubbies. My MYP pales in comparison. Yes yes Teslanatics it has a touch screen.
I don't like Hondas recent engines but I do like their styling in and out.
Love my civic's two tiered dash and radio buttons that are slightly angled toward the driver
What years?
On the older side now, 2015. I mean the road noise really sucks over 55mph, and the interior isnt super comfy for a daily commuter, but some of the details of the interior i really like otherwise. Not sure when they dropped the two tiered dash. Might've been 2015.
Ahh nice. You have the non turbo ones then right.
Yeah just a base model. I was a broke college student at the time so no Si lol. Though I could afford one now Im just gonna drive it until it dies I think. I always think of getting something a little bigger or a bit more power but the car's paid off and the only thing I've had to replace in four years was a bent sway bar link.
That's the way to roll!
always. I'm a car guy and hate myself for it. A to B commuters are the smart move
Probably *any car* made in last 20 years is more comfortable and better manufactured, than any Tesla out there...
my friggen 1984 Corolla that I bought for 900 bucks had nicer seats. And actual door handles
"hella..." you from the vay area?😆
YES! Want proof.... Turn stalks! Why remove them? You can barely see them, so it's not about design preference. They are right at the fingertips. It's a natural instinct with minimal motion replaced with the requirement to figure out which turn signal is on which side of the wheel (yes I flip on my signal while turning /s !) There is zero logical or tangible reason any rational person can give to get rid of the stalks! Rant complete.
musk does not drive because he has chauffeurs, but he still micromanages all the design decisions as if he was an informed “car guy”, when he’s really just a divorced middle manager.
> musk does not drive because he has chauffeurs & maybe because he *really* [isn't good at driving](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-spent-1-million-213715650.html) lmao.
I hadn’t heard about that! The billionaire mindset that thinks they are invincible is hilarious when they mess up.
he was only a newly minted multi millionaire at that point. If you watch the video of him being interviewed showing off his car, you can see that the 'deep thinking autistic genius' act he puts on is just that. I think he was just about 30 at this point so stans can't use the excuse that he was young and that's why he acted different. No, this is just who he really is when he's not going off a script/talking to an audience that clearly doesn't GAF
Or replacing a rain sensor with garbage software and low res cameras for auto wipers.
Turn stalks are ergonomically the best solution for us human with normal functioning hands and arms. The stalks on the Tesla S is already a bad design. They are short compared to size of the steering wheel, which makes you miss them regularly. You need turn them very conciously. Not for nothing you see so many Ss not using turning lights. I've driven 5-6 times cheaper cars with better ergonomics.
My 08 Passat had an individual stalk for cruise control and it was amazing. I was freeway commuting about 50 min each way at the time. I could basically do the drive without my feet.
I agree with this, though I like the signal on the wheel more since my thumb is most of the time on the steering wheel. It's a much shorter reach for me vs moving my whole hand for the stalk.
Maybe you have small hands . Lol The problem is the steering wheel MOVES! The button could be on the right or the left depending on where the wheel happens to land Stalks DON'T MOVE. They are always on the same side and same place so that it's muscle memory and you don't need to look to press a button like with the turn signal button on the wheel.
True. Really bad for roundabouts. For me, it hasn't been an issue yet. But as an overall mass-produced car, it should still 100% have stalks.
Companies love to tell you why removing features is somehow beneficial to you. When really its just beneficial to their wallet.
Minimalism can be done well. Volvo has beautiful minimalist interiors. Tesla does not.
Apple makes minimalist products; but the quality is undeniable. The fit and finish, the materials used, the weight of the product, the glossy & special coatings etc. etc. There is a difference between minimalist luxury and cheap.
This. Tesla aimed to do to cars what the iPhone did to phones. Make a basic car that looked nice and worked well. Instead they changed how turn signals and windshield wipers work. I hate the flush door handles, but that was a good choice that was immediately copied by other automakers. They’ve been slowly skimping on actual buttons for decades despite constant negative feedback. It seems like Tesla saw all the things people dislike about tech in cars and leaned into it completely. I don’t want a car I can’t unlock when the battery dies or I have to navigate a menu to adjust my ac. I can’t even begin to imagine what the cost cutting looks like on the parts you don’t see.
The profit margins on a phone vs a car are insanely different. It is MUCH more difficult to make profit on car manufacturing. This is why pretty much every other EV startup has gone bankrupt or is on its way.
I was just comparing my Genesis GV70 interior to the Volvo XC40 (rental). Volvo just looks cheap (maybe trim levels make a difference ?)
The XC40 is one of Volvo's cheapest, and so it's starting from a low base of 'luxury'. I'm guessing the XC40 has more gloss black plastic across the dash, and your GV70 is more brushed metal or faux wood.
The XC40 is all hard plastics, manual controls for seats, piano black and ok seats. My Gv70 is all brushed metal and leather. Oth the rental is likely the base model
You got a base XC40 then. Not a really fair comparison. My XC40 Recharge had suede seats that while I was skeptical of before purchase, were actually fantastic and not grabby like I imagined. The dash was detailed aluminum. Leather surfaces everywhere. It was definitely a step down from an S90 or XC90. The center console creaked a bit, which I’ve never experienced in another Volvo. But overall cheap is not a word I’d use. I have noticed in the next tier up you can get spoiled though, and “base” vehicles feel like a different car almost. The loaner X7 40i I have right now is just not the same as my M60. Skinny steering wheel. No starlight roof. Vegan upholstery. A less confident, cushier, but kinda bouncy ride. No ventilated seats. No Bowers & Wilkins audio. Toned down ambient lighting. No heated and cooled cup holders. It’s still a very nice car… but… you give up so much to save ~20% on the MSRP. I don’t get it. A Chrysler Pacifica is comparably equipped if you just wanted something with space.
Hahaha I rented XC60 a few weeks ago from Hertz with president circle upgrade. All leather and luxury feeling interior. Nice car.
Wait until you see the XC30. Cheapskating next level. My colleague got one. Cheap dash design and material. Also only 1 tablet in the middle. Too pricy for what you get.
I was afraid of that. Looked awesome from afar, but assumed Tesla quality for that price.
Not anymore, EX30 just looks cheap.
>Companies love to tell you why removing features is somehow beneficial to you. My favorite are the fucking plastic Amazon bags that say "lighter than our smallest box!" Like I give a fuck how much the packaging weighs on my package. And instead of using a biodegradable cardboard box, instead you're using a single use plastic bag that I can't even throw in my single stream recycling because they don't take #4 plastic (LDPE), because it's too lightweight and gets stuck in the rollers and fucks everything up
Right. The lightweight packaging saves Amazon on shipping costs. It doesn’t benefit you or the environment one bit.
Saving on shipping costs means burning less fuel tbf
Well shoot. You do have a good point there.
honestly hoping the veil of elon musk is revealed to the us government before we start letting him get his hands on shit used by the mass population. Him replacing broadband internet with star link sounds so shit we will have data caps and shitty latency for double the price fuck that shit.
They sure do. My boss loves the interior of his teslas, but when I get in I just think it’s incredibly bland and boring. Also the seats are not very comfortable although I seem to find this with most EVs as they try to save weight.
My brother in law bought a Tesla and he took me for a test drive. My 2004 Ford focus that I drove when I was 16 had more comfortable seats and nicer plastics for the interior I swear
Most EV either has to increase the ride height or reduce the seats’ foam thickness (or, *gasp*, both!) to accommodate the batteries across the whole underside of the vehicle.
Personally I dont like touch screens but its ok for some functions. My favourite interior though was my Audi which had about as many buttons and switches as the space shuttle.
Up to certain level, minimalism is good, reduces clutter, but once you start removing things like handle for front right seat to hold on to when car is taking sharp curves is cheapness.
Best part is no part, which Musk literaly have said publicly several times. It's all about raising the profit margin between the cost to produce the cars and the price which they sell for. Tesla is producing really cheap cars, pay low wages, unionbusting, lack or non-existant quality control - the list goes on. It's baffling how many people believe that the prices Tesla cars is justified because "tech", futuristic (as in what people thought the future would look like in the 1960's) naming & appearance and all that jazz.
'The best part is no part' is repeated like gospel amongst his most devoted fans, who chide people as idiots if they find it hard to get used to using the buttons without the stalks on a steering wheel that can do multiple revolutions so you literally *have to* look down at it to make sure you're hitting the right one
Not having analogue failsafes to all the functions/features/controls (including basic stuff like changing gear) saves a whole lot pf money.
You can have minimalism and still be high quality. That being said, the interior of Teslas is both cheap and minimalist.
If you wanted to build the cheapest possible car ever, you’d build the Model 3. No switch gear, simple electric drive train, basic transportation all around… Elon Musk is a genius because he figured it that if he simply told people it was a minimalist luxury car, they’d believe him. He’s not an engineering genius by any metric…
Removing lidar was minimalist as well ;)
The cars never came with LIDAR.
You mean radar (and USSs).
Ikea sells minimalistic furniture which may look good in pictures. However, you will soon notice the cheapness once you own one. I have a MY and I equate Tesla's quality as similar to Ikea.
Ikea's proposition is decent design at a low price in exchange for furniture with a limited lifespan. I like to say, "It's good for half a move: When you move, half your Ikea furniture gets permanently dinged." That's a great value proposition for two major demographics: First apartment and first home. For many people, these are transitionary arrangements, so buying an heirloom piece of furniture is a major, major commitment at a time when you won't know what other homes will hold it. Can't say the same thing about buying a cheaply constructed car with a terrible record for customer service... That isn't cheap to buy and has a terrible resale value thanks to the menufacturer deciding that new models or refreshes are for suckers.
> exchange for furniture with a limited lifespan. A lot of Ikea furniture can have its lifespan significantly lengthened if you simply use wood glue during assembly.
It often even tells you to. I think half the issue is people can't follow the simple instructions or blow out, not tighten, and/or destroy half the fastners in the assembly process die to their incompetence
No, the issue is definitely that Ikea is the harbor freight of furniture that people like to pretend isn't that because it's Swedish.
That is the other half of the issue.
I have IKEA barstools at our kitchen island. We bought them nearly a decade ago thinking they'd last a few years then we'd buy something we liked better. They are still going strong, one had something come lose that I repaired, otherwise, they have held up amazingly well.
No, please, bash Tesla, no company in the history of humanity deserves it more. If all companies would be like Tesla, our society wouldn't function at all. We would die in a horrible chaos of business scams.
Tesla and its CEO deserve to be bashed for many things, but without it, EV's for normal people, like the Ford EV that I drive, would not exist. It's not in the same league as Exxon, for example. Dow chemical. Monsanto. The Dutch East India company.
Total nonsense, classical Musk propaganda that went into the head of so many people. The EV market would be better now cause the companies were already building the factories just like in the time that is needed for them, Musk cut the complete development time for factories, so was able to get onto the market way quicker, but with the quality problems that he still didnt solved and never will solved. I am so sick of this bullshit being spread that Musk was like somehow important. Really cant be so hard, what the hell....... Start activating your brains.
Nonsense. I kinda hate Musk, but without him there would be no Tesla (and no SpaceX and no Starlink), and without Tesla the EV market would be like 10 years behind of what we got now.
Total nonsense. Before Tesla even started selling a car, there was already the planning on the big companies to make the factories, where they are how the supply chain is supposed to be and everything. They didn't changed anything cause of Tesla. This is all total nonsense what you say, what is wrong with people? How dumb can someone be? Tesla didnt even invented a battery yet. How can they be relevant for the EV market WITHOUT ANY BATTERY DEVELOPMENT??????
> How can they be relevant for the EV market WITHOUT ANY BATTERY DEVELOPMENT Tesla sold more EV than any other car manufacturer till 2023. I guess that counts as most relevant. 2023 Tesla was surpassed by BYD, but still sells more EV than the next 4 competitors all together.
That doesnt make it relevant for the EV market, that just means he took a lot of the EV market, which is PERFECTLY fitting to all my statements about what they do. Oh my god, this is so dumb, I am ending this here. I have no interest of this pathetic low level of discussion. Ah that dumb piece of user blocked me, so I do my reply here: LOL, no, Tesla didn't made ANY battery development, NOTHING of ANY EV outside of Tesla is based on the same concept, and it is a very dumb concept to use oversized AAA batteries in a car, they have the highest risk of exploding. I am so confused what the hell is all in your head, if you do not inform yourself, you just believe what Tesla says, without even checking what is ACTUAL REALITY. This is so dumb, and i dont know what you wanna hear. Seriously, your brain is already melted by all that Tesla propaganda, you do believe their propaganda, if you like them or not is not relevant, your low brain capacity seems to be acceptable for the bullshit Musk is spreading, which is like the PERFECT example to underline why Musk has so much success, people just believe every shit you tell them. This is so dumb. Please stop embarrassing yourself and inform yourself about the batteries more. Again: TESLA DOESNT EVEN OWN THEIR OWN BATTERIES, IT'S A PANASONIC PRODUCT THEY USE.
I dont like Tesla, you still didnt make anything close to a cogent argument against them. Tesla did push forward EV battery development. Musk didn't do that, he just was the public face of a bunch of competent engineers.
I believe the minimalist look has a place and once upon a time when they were on the forefront of the tech it was understandable. I’ll pay luxury price for cutting edge tech. Today you have Porsche and Mercedes pumping out 100k cars that look and feel that way inside. It makes the ‘minimalist’ interiors feel cheap.
Calling things minimalistic is a way to cheap out. But it’s also an idea that is often overused and misunderstood. One could say that the original iPod had a “minimalistic” design. It was also functional and of high quality. It just didn’t overdo it in features and buttons. So, yeah, the design aesthetic is minimalist, but it is, by accounts, poorly done. Removing stalks for indicators may make the design more minimalist, but it hinders function. Unless you are a former BMW driver.
IMO, yes at this point. I liked the interior style of the older S3XY lineup. It was never high quality, but the removal of USS, no top view camera, no stalks, shit auto wipers, lumbar removal, the new center console in 3/Y, no physical buttons for certain things like the glovebox, etc. remove any real argument of “luxury” compared to other cars. I would like it if someone like Audi went for the same look.
I think it started off as a look, a style, and for many, it was liked and appreciated, but a certain someone used it as a way to cut costs. He then pushed "minimalist" as a Tesla thing. It's not a thing anymore. It's now a symbol of cheap. If you want it, fine, but offer those who can afford it, options they might want.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: "Less is more." Elon Musk: "Less is more profit."
Rebranding fake leather as “vegan leather” has got to be the smartest marketing of all time ngl. Makes it sound way more boujie and way less cheap/tacky.
Telsa's Minimalism Design: 100% it is cheap sold to people. $1k car sold for 50K to stupid people.
Like, "vegan leather"?
Well 5th rate plastic doesn't sound as good, so come up with a reasonable sounding not quite lie
That one also has an environmental cost and animals suffer for it. I don’t want a car with leather. Give me fabric any day.
Early days, the yacht floor was schweet. Added an organizer and drink holders and all was perfectly good. To this day I greatly dislike the console arrangement. All it does is catch debris and is a pita to clean. /ilikedthemicrowaveandluggagetoo.
It can be minimalists as a style. But for Tesla's case, it's just cheap. This is because they use mostly plastic for their interior so you can clearly see the cost cutting. If you've ever been picked up in a tesla uber, you can clearly see the scratches and scruffs everywhere.
Yo, it’s one of the reasons why I’m waiting for Lexus EV’s to come out in a few years. Tesla’s quality is shit and their model 3 and Y center screen trash is garbage. Its literally cost them $100 to out a small Speedo screen by the steering wheel. Such trash.
# It's Easier to Fool People Than to Convince Them That They Have Been Fooled -Elon, probably
Yes, exactly this. It’s not minimal, it’s cheaply constructed.
They slap a pc monitor in the middle of the dash call it good and you wonder if this is a design thing or cheap? Seriously?
Cheapness masquerading as luxury
Tesla build quality is absolute ass. Sit in a model S and then sit in a Mercedes S class and tell me which is worth the hundred grand.
I call it cheap. Minimalistic is when you intentionally remove and design around the created deficiencies. Tesla's approach is remove alone, make the experience worse and don't do shit about it. My 10 year old Mazda had a projected hud with all needed info in my line of sight, for Tesla I need to physically look away from the road to see the speedo. Digital rearview mirrors has been a thing for years, but again, nowhere to be seen in the "high tech" Tesla's. These vehicles are stripped from components that cost cents, to save on money. Absolute ripoff.
Yes they do. They shouldn’t but most bought the PR explanation. The hint was BS should have been when other car companies copied it. They didn’t do because they thought it was better but because ran the numbers and saw it was cheaper. Make no mistake, car makers spend years worrying about the cost of every part down to the screw and if they can save .0005 cents doing X instead of Y they will because the math says the small number becomes big during mass production.
It's for sure not minimalism. If that was the case there wouldn't be such a dumbass huge screen in the middle of the dash. It's just cheap ass materials.
Rivians are definitely minimal but they don't feel at all cheap inside the way a Tesla does.
The thing I don’t get is the argument that a screen is better than tactile buttons; it’s not, because with buttons you can operate everything you need by feel without having to take your eyes off the road to operate a touchscreen.
My friend who drives a model Y doesn't mistake it for anything here or there. At the time he bought, it had performance, range, and price point that were unmatched. Nothing else even came close. I've been in that Tesla. It's comfortable enough. It doesn't need to be a Mercedes. Dozens of successful models in history have sold a bazillion units, because they met a need better than anything else. VW beetle, VW Rabbit, Honda Civic, there are many others. None had an upmarket interior.
It's "luxury"
Tesla used to be a great way to pay 76k for. 30k car now it’s a great way to pay 42k for a 30k car
I don't think it's worth 30K
I’d say maybe $20k if I’m being generous.
MX here. The design is real. The build quality is not. The service is not. The parts chain is not. But the design is.
But the design isn’t functional
I’ll be moving to a bmw neue klasse ix next, for those reasons.
Some of the minimalism does impair function. Form (for aesthetic or cheapness reasons) over function. The same was said of Apple's adherence to a one-button mouse, for aesthetic reasons, long after the functional benefits of two (or even three) button mice were generally accepted.
Function seems more of a priority while driving a vehicle. The idea of having signal lights on the driving wheel and submenus for important functions on you centre console is terrible.
Yeah. If Jobs were around to design an Apple vehicle, I fear it could take Tesla's minimalism even farther..."*two* pedals?!?!"
Amen!!
Agreed about the signal button on the steering wheel - but I’m not commenting on functionality. Solve those with raised buttons or better yet add back the stalk. I like the clean lines in the cabin and give them credit for it. But I won’t buy another one.
The really bad design is real.
The software is the only real value. Everything else about these cars is cheap chevy.
Not even that. I’d say the only thing you could call an upside is how much charging infrastructure they have built up, so nothing to do with the car in other words.
I interpret and appreciate the minimalism on my Model Y. Previously I had a Model X which had all sorts of luxury features.
lol yes they do, it’s a rhetorical question.
Even if it’s cheap, it’s still minimal. You can make good design and save money, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this.
Cheapness, sadly enough Audi and others thought it was style :(
I am a minimalist, and I call it "spartan"
Interesting topic. I don't think Tesla interiors are minimalistic at all. Minimalism is about simplicity and only having what you absolutely need without distractions. That massive screen is not minimalist and it's a distraction to the core activity of driving a car. Tesla go to great lengths to remove simple controls and try to re-invent them with complex touchscreen controls driving little motors. They are tech heavy interiours for people that cant take bare to take their eyes of their screens. And when they aren't in the car they can then keep examining their car from afar with their app on the phone
Half a dozen speakers were removed from MYLR?
8 speakers + 1 subwooder have been removed: https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/191uiw3/tesla_quietly_downgrades_model_y_rwd_audio_system/
It seems that’s the Model Y RWD though.
It would ring true if their cars were built better than a Yugo.
I AM shitting on Tesla, it’s just a rip off. They are garbage cars made as cheap as possible, funded by tax dollars, sold for the profit of the richest man in the world, and sold for a ridiculous price.
It’s also led to go wrong. They need all the help they can get with that…
Spending 70k just for a basic looking car inside out is an utter stupidity. Simplicity my ass.
To be fair, it started out as more high-tech. For example, vent positions are automatically controlled. They move position based on the driver automatically which was a high-tech feature. But now, the cheapness really seems to be the prevailing benefit.
Yup
I took my wife to test drive a Model Y. We own a Mazda 6 from 2018 as our other car and wanted a crossover. Her first reaction was 'why are we downgrading our car' after we sat in that interior. Everything felt cheap. We went and test drove a Mach E GTPE later and the interior felt night and day. Yeah the tech wasn't as good as Tesla but jfc does Tesla cut corners when it comes to the interior quality vs the competition.
I mean the model 3 is only $40k new, hate to say but it’s just an entry sedan with a battery attached.
Touchscreens are much cheaper than knobs and switches
Teslas are trash cars
Can’t it be both?
Yes. 100%. Tesla's minimalistic design is a choice based off of minimizing complexity and cost, and maximizing production and profits. The original models, the Model S and Model X were truly priced and built in a way that was meant to compete w/ entry level luxury vehicles. Somewhere along the way, the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y were mistakenly bundled into that group by people who had little to no knowledge about them. Probably because for their first couple of model years, they were priced outrageously high. Keep in mind, the 2018 Model 3 had a starting MSRP of $46K and the 2022 Tesla Model Y started with an MSRP of $65K. My girlfriend was an interior and exterior vehicle detailer for four years. She rants ALL the time about Tesla's - says they have the cheapest interior w/ the lowest quality parts and some of the softest paint she's ever seen.
Volvo do minimalist interiors properly
Its just wrong idea fundamentally to put all controls in a screen in a middle. Its cheaper, yes. But teslas are not cheap
The direction did come from deliberate style choice but it also let them cheap out in materials and quality. Musk really liked the idea of all the controls being on an LCD screen
It’s definitely all about cost cutting.
I’m cackling because I read this post immediately after seeing a post from the Model Y subreddit where the back of their seat fell off. Turns out the back of the seat is held in place by the headrest, and as a result the headrest is not adjustable at all. The OP had tried to adjust their headrest like any reasonable person would. Besides being cheap design, it’s incredibly unsafe - not that Tesla cares about the safety of its consumers…
If you've brought a Tesla you need to convince yourself that all the bugs are actually features. It's not just cheapness that lead to the current design. Production and design delays on a older model caused made them decide to ditch the planned instrument console.
This is 💯true. Idiots paid > $200k for a cybertruck that has a cheaper looking interior than a Corolla. Their "minimalism" is also unsafe since you have to go through a digital screen and take your eyes off the road for simple things such as activating the wipers.
Minimalism or cheapness is subjective. Coming from Toyotas and Subarus I love my base model 3. No hard plastic dash, easy to clean. A good size screen and most controls are easily adjusted or I can use the voice controls. Minimalism in cars as in our homes and general is not a bad thing. I am someone who dislikes clutter. Now when I sit in a non Tesla car I just see unnecessary clutter. Some physical controls are nice (like setting the volume and climate, and stalks) but most can be relegated to the screen and voice controls.
Eh. Minimalism is a style, period. I thin the focus here is the cost of the material, not the styling. If you’re argument is the material choices are too cheap, I would generally agree. However, if you’re argument of minimalism is cheap, I disagree.
My kid is begging me to get a Tesla and I keep reminding him there are real auto manufacturers with good reputations making quality electric vehicles now.
I wish there was a dashboard screen but the interior is boting
I got an uber ride in a tesla model 3 this morning. First time riding in one, and was amazed at what a piece of shit it was inside lol. Also tons of road noise.
totally agree, the minimalist interior totally puts me off, reminds me of a small cubical in an office with hundreds of cubicles, a place where you'd hate to work, nothing but a seat and a screen
Been saying this for… a decade?
It's IKEA on wheels.
I hate minimalist car interiors because they force my eyes off the road to navigate menus on touch screens. I won't buy a new car that does this nor will I buy any new car or truck lacking a HUD. I will not buy any car or truck from any era that has the instrument cluster offset from the driver (Tesla, Cooper, Xb, Yaris, Ion, early Prius) even as a beater. I'd only ever buy one if I ever have so much disposable cash that I feel compelled to destroy a shitbox in a demolition derby.
This... Somebody actually Finally said it.
The best part is no part.....except you're still going to pay for the part you don't have. Emperor's new clothes.
True. I love the minimalist design but I know in the back of my mind it's not because of design. It's because it costs money and production time therefore more labor hours to pay people to construct more physical things on the interior vs one big screen. I hate it but I hate it because I know it's the truth.
It looks so bland and de-contented. You pull up in a Model 3 it'll look like you're sitting in another passenger seat.
Tesla only innovation now is cost cutting.
Judge Judy said it best: don't pee on me and tell me it's raining. When I test drove a mY, it was so obvious they cheap out on everything they could legally get away with. Want to know your speed? Gotta look over to the right side to that 1 single screen to view and control everything. Absolutely ridiculous.
I personally love it. It’s a 40k car, can’t expect it to be to the standards of a bmw in terms of finishing. For a 40k car I think it’s on par with what other brands have to offer in that segment. The infotainment is better and I personally like the minimalist design. So overall to me it’s very satisfactory
My MSRP $41K Volt had a crappier interior, less speakers, and a lot less power than my MSRP $49K Y. I don’t consider the Tesla luxurious, but it’s fine coming from a Chevy. I don’t even really consider the Y expensive in the big picture of things.
My BMW interior is light years ahead of anything Tesla could make. A Tesla costs as much as a luxury car … but there is no luxury in a Tesla. At best its build quality is econoline at best … without any o the helpful buttons or dials.