Not what I meant. "People want an experience that works out of the box."
That experience of a car just working out of the box, doing what it is supposed to do, and never having any issues whatsoever, is more typical of Toyota/Honda than it is of any of the EV makers. Even though electric vehicles as a category should be better in principle (fewer moving parts).
There’s no single axis to people’s decisions though.
The Japanese brands have stagnated in terms of style, features and BEV availability. Especially in the case of Honda, they’ve also lost that impression of reliability.
Tesla and Hyundai/Kia are eating their market for what people’s wants have changed to: cars as an extension of the rest of their lives, not just a utility.
> cars as an extension of the rest of their lives, not just a utility
I don't even understand what that means. That could be a marketing slogan.
Cars have been at the center of our lives for decades in most developed countries, we don't even notice it anymore. Unless you live in the Netherlands, Japan or a big European metropolis, everything has been designed for them.
What do people do the rest of their day when they’re not in a car?
They’re using apps to navigate, listen to music, entertain themselves, get support etc…
A Tesla gives them an extension of the rest of their day in car form. It’s a smartphone on a car.
That’s in addition to their ecosystem of chargers. Not having to worry as much if a charger is compatible or cross shop gas price rates.
It’s also why most buyers require CarPlay or Android auto as a must have feature.
I don’t care if it sounds like marketing. You can see people make the decision time and time again that new technology should be an extension of what they already use outside of it.
That experience of a car just working out of the box, doing what it is supposed to do, and never having any issues whatsoever, is more typical of Toyota/Honda than it is of any of the EV makers. Even though electric vehicles as a category should be better in principle (fewer moving parts).