Couldn't Deposit $1000 for Tesla Model 3 !

[edyvw]

Why comparing BMW i3 with Tesla at all? It is a BMW test vehicle to get ready for electric cars. They are learning while they are racking up profits by selling other cars. BMW already learned from I3 and I8 a lot when it comes to application of carbon etc.
Then again, considering workmanship in Tesla S, not sure why not buying anything else except Tesla.

 

[HTSS_TR]

The worse attribute of BMW i3 is its styling. Styling of a vehicle is almost free, BMW can easily makes it looks acceptable with no extra cost, but they choose to make it standout and in this exercise it is one of the most ugly vehicle of all time.

Also, to be competitive with other EV's i3 should costs less than $30-35k and more than 100 miles range.

If i3 is typical BMW capability in the EV then they will never be able to compete with Tesla in any price range, from entry level to luxury to CUV/SUV.

First quarter 2016 Tesla sold 6400 model S and 2400 model X, BMW sold 760 i3. Model S and X on average cost about twice as much as i3 but sold more than 3 times(model X) and 8 times(model S).

As bad as Nissan Leaf is, Nissan Leaf sold almost 4 times BMW i3.

If you look at BMW 2,3-series styling they are better than any other sedan in its class. Why not design i3 as normal as possible ?

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
The worse attribute of BMW i3 is its styling. Styling of a vehicle is almost free, BMW can easily makes it looks acceptable with no extra cost, but they choose to make it standout and in this exercise it is one of the most ugly vehicle of all time.

Also, to be competitive with other EV's i3 should costs less than $30-35k and more than 100 miles range.

If i3 is typical BMW capability in the EV then they will never be able to compete with Tesla in any price range, from entry level to luxury to CUV/SUV.

First quarter 2016 Tesla sold 6400 model S and 2400 model X, BMW sold 760 i3. Model S and X on average cost about twice as much as i3 but sold more than 3 times(model X) and 8 times(model S).

As bad as Nissan Leaf is, Nissan Leaf sold almost 4 times BMW i3.

If you look at BMW 2,3-series styling they are better than any other sedan in its class. Why not design i3 as normal as possible ?

You do not understand my point. BMW is using i3 as test vehicle, not to outsell Tesla. I am not sure that anyone in Munich cares about Tesla. i3 is learning curve for BMW, and it is providing them with abundance of data in all aspects not only when it comes to battery, drive etc.
i3 is not "trendy" as Tesla is. I said before, tesla is for people who have serious surplus in their budget, and as someone said: they can be part of the group in parties that are thrown in most expensive neighborhoods.
Leaf? Leaf actually makes sense when it comes to the price. I am not sure that people who buy Leaf will consider Tesla or i3. What BMW is doing is making efforts to get ready to be BMW once when it makes transition to hybrids and then all electric drive (who knows when). Nothing else. Until then, most people who buy Tesla will have M5 in garage or something similar. Save on gas going to work, burn 200 gallons during weekend.

 

[HTSS_TR]

BMW, MB, Audi, Porsche, GM, Ford ... all were sleeping while Tesla charged ahead with zero emission vehicle.

Tesla(and Fisker ?) first battery electric vehicle was a roaster in 2008, that car had a range of more than 200 miles.

Fast forward 5-6 years and nobody can design/engineer any EV with much more 100 miles, except Tesla (with model S and model X and now model 3).

It took GM 8 years to design/engineer Chevy Bolt with 200 miles range(with help from LG chemical).

Everybody knew some years ago that some states and some countries are demanding some percentage of zero emission vehicles to be sold alongside ICE vehicles, or facing heavy fines. But none couldn't do anything worthwhile, such that when Tesla started to accept $1,000 deposit for pre-order model 3, hundreds people waiting at their stores even before the car had been unveiled. When model 3 was officially unveil at 8:30 PM PDT they had more than 100,000 deposits.

To me i3 was all BMW could muster few years ago, it wasn't a study for future models. Same for Audi, MB ... they couldn't make anything close to what Tesla has.

Why more than 300,000 people deposit $1,000 and wait 2 years or longer for model 3, when they can walk into a BMW dealer showroom today and pay $42k for i3 ?

A simple question for you, if you like to own an EV which do you buy, Tesla model 3 with 215 miles range at $35k or BMW i3 with 100 miles range at $42k ?

I wouldn't drive an i3 for free, mainly because of its ugly exterior styling.

 

[Nate1979]

Personally I like the idea of the Chevy Volt. A good range on electric only and then gas engine to be able to take long trips like normal.

I think the manufacturers put more effort on hybrids and plug in hybrids because they know these are much more reasonable to drivers. Full EV will not have big sales because of limited customer interest. Also, EV's generally lose money so they only pursue because of govt. mandates.

I believe Tesla has so many pre-orders because they are trendy and there is no downside to putting down the deposit (i.e. fully refundable). But now they get to brag to their yuppie friends hey I'm on the list for a Tesla, are you? Let's see how many of those people place the order when there are no tax subsidies available and when they have to actually write the check.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
BMW, MB, Audi, Porsche, GM, Ford ... all were sleeping while Tesla charged ahead with zero emission vehicle.

Tesla(and Fisker ?) first battery electric vehicle was a roaster in 2008, that car had a range of more than 200 miles.

Fast forward 5-6 years and nobody can design/engineer any EV with much more 100 miles, except Tesla (with model S and model X and now model 3).

It took GM 8 years to design/engineer Chevy Bolt with 200 miles range(with help from LG chemical).

Everybody knew some years ago that some states and some countries are demanding some percentage of zero emission vehicles to be sold alongside ICE vehicles, or facing heavy fines. But none couldn't do anything worthwhile, such that when Tesla started to accept $1,000 deposit for pre-order model 3, hundreds people waiting at their stores even before the car had been unveiled. When model 3 was officially unveil at 8:30 PM PDT they had more than 100,000 deposits.

To me i3 was all BMW could muster few years ago, it wasn't a study for future models. Same for Audi, MB ... they couldn't make anything close to what Tesla has.

Why more than 300,000 people deposit $1,000 and wait 2 years or longer for model 3, when they can walk into a BMW dealer showroom today and pay $42k for i3 ?

A simple question for you, if you like to own an EV which do you buy, Tesla model 3 with 215 miles range at $35k or BMW i3 with 100 miles range at $42k ?

I wouldn't drive an i3 for free, mainly because of its ugly exterior styling.


OK, we can disagree why BMW developed i3, or whatever, but you ask me few questions, so let me answer:
1. Why more then 300,000 people deposited money for Tesla3? For the same reason why people wait in line for new iPhone while they have previous model that works perfectly fine. For the same reason why people need car for work, for weekend, for mountains. For the same reason why my in-laws in San Diego move from bigger apartment to smaller apartment but in trendier part of town, although baby is on the way.
2. If i was buying EV (which probability for happening is the same as Sun becoming habitable star), of course I would buy BMW. Why? Because this year BMW is celebrating 100 years of existence and Tesla is celebrating how many years?

 

[Nebroch]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
BMW, MB, Audi, Porsche, GM, Ford ... all were sleeping while Tesla charged ahead with zero emission vehicle.


Considering Tesla's cash burn and losses sleeping for now was probably a good decision. They have to change these figures from red to black this year when higher margin S and X are both in production, or the company won't survive. Bashing BMW i3 etc. will not change this.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Nebroch
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
BMW, MB, Audi, Porsche, GM, Ford ... all were sleeping while Tesla charged ahead with zero emission vehicle.

Considering Tesla's cash burn and losses sleeping for now was probably a good decision. They have to change these figures from red to black this year when higher margin S and X are both in production, or the company won't survive. Bashing BMW i3 etc. will not change this.

An expending/growing company can keep loosing money for many years and still survive, and in some cases dominating the market they are competing in, case in point: Amazon.

How many profit years since Amazon was found in late '90 ? Even as late as 3-5 years ago they still reported lost on every quarter.

The details of financial report showed that Tesla had good profit margin on Model S, but the money they spent to expand production line from 10k to 50k to 100k a year was much more than the revenue they took in. Note: Tesla employed about 3,000 in 2013 and it is 13,000 now, company payroll growth at the rate of more than 50% a year the last 3 years.

They need to invest even more to be able to produce model 3 up to 200-300k a year, where/how do they get the billions ? Probably by selling stocks on open market and issue bonds or some other methods.

Bashing BMW i3 ? The fact is GM and Tesla can produce EV with 200+ miles range for less than $40 and BMW can only make 80-100 miles EV for more than $40k.

This isn't bashing, this is a valid comparison. Only the ones without any brain cell would buy an inferior vehicle for more money. I have enough brain cell to know which I will buy.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: Nebroch
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
BMW, MB, Audi, Porsche, GM, Ford ... all were sleeping while Tesla charged ahead with zero emission vehicle.

Considering Tesla's cash burn and losses sleeping for now was probably a good decision. They have to change these figures from red to black this year when higher margin S and X are both in production, or the company won't survive. Bashing BMW i3 etc. will not change this.

An expending/growing company can keep loosing money for many years and still survive, and in some cases dominating the market they are competing in, case in point: Amazon.

How many profit years since Amazon was found in late '90 ? Even as late as 3-5 years ago they still reported lost on every quarter.

The details of financial report showed that Tesla had good profit margin on Model S, but the money they spent to expand production line from 10k to 50k to 100k a year was much more than the revenue they took in. Note: Tesla employed about 3,000 in 2013 and it is 13,000 now, company payroll growth at the rate of more than 50% a year the last 3 years.

They need to invest even more to be able to produce model 3 up to 200-300k a year, where/how do they get the billions ? Probably by selling stocks on open market and issue bonds or some other methods.

Bashing BMW i3 ? The fact is GM and Tesla can produce EV with 200+ miles range for less than $40 and BMW can only make 80-100 miles EV for more than $40k.

This isn't bashing, this is a valid comparison. Only the ones without any brain cell would buy an inferior vehicle for more money. I have enough brain cell to know which I will buy.

Inferior vehicle? What is inferior vehicle? Range+falling ceiling material, detached handles etc? BMW knows how to make complete car, unlike Tesla.
But I disagree that it is bashing of BMW. I think it is attempt to convince yourself that it is good step to buy that Tesla whatever model it is.
In the end of the day, anyone with any common sense would skip on both cars!

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Bashing BMW i3 ? The fact is GM and Tesla can produce EV with 200+ miles range for less than $40 and BMW can only make 80-100 miles EV for more than $40k.

This isn't bashing, this is a valid comparison. Only the ones without any brain cell would buy an inferior vehicle for more money. I have enough brain cell to know which I will buy.

Inferior vehicle? What is inferior vehicle? Range+falling ceiling material, detached handles etc? BMW knows how to make complete car, unlike Tesla.
But I disagree that it is bashing of BMW. I think it is attempt to convince yourself that it is good step to buy that Tesla whatever model it is.
In the end of the day, anyone with any common sense would skip on both cars! [/quote]
Inferior EV is the one that costs more with less than half the driving range. Not talking about performance(zero to 60MPH) and other features.

Caranddriver.com review of BMW i3
Originally Posted By: Caranddriver.com
Around the skidpad, tires barely wider than an adult hand manage just 0.80 g of lateral grip ... it’s difficult to wrap your head around the i3 as a BMW


Originally Posted By: Caranddriver.com
With a fully charged battery, the i3 drives much like electric competitors from Nissan, Ford, and Chevrolet.
This i3 is the only BMW ever compares with low cost makers, all other BMW vehicles were compare to MB, Audi, Acura, Lexus ... by any magazine.

Originally Posted By: Caranddriver.com
The i3 is rated to cover 72 miles on electricity alone (or 81 miles without the weighty range extender). The single significant flaw with the i3’s range extender is that it drinks from a Big Gulp–sized gas tank. At 1.9 gallons small, the gas reservoir contributes another 75 miles or so to the i3’s reach.

So it alleviates the anxiety of driving an electric but doesn’t solve the range issue the same way a Volt does. Take the i3 on a 500-mile weekend and you’ll stop to refuel every hour. Wasn’t driving an electric car supposed to be about avoiding gas stations?

Never mind that the BMW i3 is the dorkiest-looking thing on four wheels since the Smart ForTwo. In a market where many electric cars are mere conversions of gas-powered models, the i3’s purpose-built, clean-sheet design stands out


Comments left on caranddriver.com article about BMW i3:

Originally Posted By: John Albrecht
I drove an i3 back in February and it was a surreal experience. It's like driving an enclosed golf car that is fast enough to be used on the road


Originally Posted By: swedespeed
Despite GM's issues I'd rather own and be seen a Chevrolet Volt - and this comes from someone that has only owned European cars.

 

[Nebroch]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Bashing BMW i3 ? The fact is GM and Tesla can produce EV with 200+ miles range for less than $40 and BMW can only make 80-100 miles EV for more than $40k.

This isn't bashing, this is a valid comparison. Only the ones without any brain cell would buy an inferior vehicle for more money. I have enough brain cell to know which I will buy.


The fact there's really poor products on the market won't help Tesla. Or are we in Paralympics?

And we have no idea what Model 3 will cost to produce, not even Musk knows by now, but one thing is sure: it has even lower margins than X and S, so they should fix their finances asap.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Bashing BMW i3 ? The fact is GM and Tesla can produce EV with 200+ miles range for less than $40 and BMW can only make 80-100 miles EV for more than $40k.

This isn't bashing, this is a valid comparison. Only the ones without any brain cell would buy an inferior vehicle for more money. I have enough brain cell to know which I will buy.

Inferior vehicle? What is inferior vehicle? Range+falling ceiling material, detached handles etc? BMW knows how to make complete car, unlike Tesla.
But I disagree that it is bashing of BMW. I think it is attempt to convince yourself that it is good step to buy that Tesla whatever model it is.
In the end of the day, anyone with any common sense would skip on both cars!

Inferior EV is the one that costs more with less than half the driving range. Not talking about performance(zero to 60MPH) and other features.

Caranddriver.com review of BMW i3
Originally Posted By: Caranddriver.com
Around the skidpad, tires barely wider than an adult hand manage just 0.80 g of lateral grip ... it’s difficult to wrap your head around the i3 as a BMW


Originally Posted By: Caranddriver.com
With a fully charged battery, the i3 drives much like electric competitors from Nissan, Ford, and Chevrolet.
This i3 is the only BMW ever compares with low cost makers, all other BMW vehicles were compare to MB, Audi, Acura, Lexus ... by any magazine.

Originally Posted By: Caranddriver.com
The i3 is rated to cover 72 miles on electricity alone (or 81 miles without the weighty range extender). The single significant flaw with the i3’s range extender is that it drinks from a Big Gulp–sized gas tank. At 1.9 gallons small, the gas reservoir contributes another 75 miles or so to the i3’s reach.

So it alleviates the anxiety of driving an electric but doesn’t solve the range issue the same way a Volt does. Take the i3 on a 500-mile weekend and you’ll stop to refuel every hour. Wasn’t driving an electric car supposed to be about avoiding gas stations?

Never mind that the BMW i3 is the dorkiest-looking thing on four wheels since the Smart ForTwo. In a market where many electric cars are mere conversions of gas-powered models, the i3’s purpose-built, clean-sheet design stands out


Comments left on caranddriver.com article about BMW i3:

Originally Posted By: John Albrecht
I drove an i3 back in February and it was a surreal experience. It's like driving an enclosed golf car that is fast enough to be used on the road


Originally Posted By: swedespeed
Despite GM's issues I'd rather own and be seen a Chevrolet Volt - and this comes from someone that has only owned European cars.
[/quote]
And your point is? Motor Trend said in 2009 that X5 despite best diesel engine in the class, best handling, best mpg, is not on par with MB 320cdi and Touareg TDI because USB should be standard.
You still think that I3 is mainstream product for BMW. BMW was using i3 to gain primarily experiences with CLAR, not EV. But, if it makes you feel better buying one POS because you compared it to another POS, that is good. Still, Tesla needs to figure how to make falling free ceiling and handles that stay on a car longer then a year.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Bashing BMW i3 ? The fact is GM and Tesla can produce EV with 200+ miles range for less than $40 and BMW can only make 80-100 miles EV for more than $40k.

This isn't bashing, this is a valid comparison. Only the ones without any brain cell would buy an inferior vehicle for more money. I have enough brain cell to know which I will buy.

Originally Posted By: Nebroch
The fact there's really poor products on the market won't help Tesla. Or are we in Paralympics?

And we have no idea what Model 3 will cost to produce, not even Musk knows by now, but one thing is sure: it has even lower margins than X and S, so they should fix their finances asap.

It does.

There are X number of people like to buy Zero Emission Vehicle a year worldwide, because of incentives or for other reasons. If there is vehicle that is much better than all others with similar price, take a guess which one will sell and which ones don't.

I think Tesla know the general production cost of model 3, the exception is the battery. If they can produce enough battery from Gigafactory in Nevada at the cost they expected then they would not loosing money on model 3, they may make small profit on base model and a little higher profit with various options.

Many financiers on Wall Street expect that Tesla will need to borrow/finance/raise money(few billions dollars) to expand production line to produce 200-300k model 3 in 2018-2020. Can they do that ? Probably, for the main reason that they have almost 400k pre-order as of today, investors will either buy their bonds or stocks or other forms.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
And your point is ? Motor Trend said in 2009 that X5 despite best diesel engine in the class, best handling, best mpg, is not on par with MB 320cdi and Touareg TDI because USB should be standard.

You need to read the fine prints and sometime between the lines to see the bias of the writer(s).

I don't care for SUV/CUV so I have no idea and no opinion about X5 vs MB 320cdi and Touareg TDI and Lexus ... But I knew for a very long time that BMW dominated compact luxury sedan, their 3-series had no equal from anyone since the '80, and they were on C&D top 10 list almost every year since the '80 too.

Originally Posted By: edyvw
You still think that I3 is mainstream product for BMW. BMW was using i3 to gain primarily experiences with CLAR, not EV. But, if it makes you feel better buying one POS because you compared it to another POS, that is good. Still, Tesla needs to figure how to make falling free ceiling and handles that stay on a car longer then a year.

Since I have high expectation from maker like BMW, Toyota, Honda ... I think after Tesla introduced Roaster in around 2008 with up to 250 miles range, and knowing that some states and some countries demand a percentage zero emission vehicle to be sold, they should started to engineer compatible if not better than what Tesla can do.

There is no reason for any established company to fall further behind every year to a start up company with barely few thousand employees, while they have tens of thousands engineers.

It looks like to beat Tesla a new company without any legacy such as Faraday Future may be able to do that.

 

[edyvw]

All I can say, good for you. You will be part of "cool" crowd.

 

[HTSS_TR]

It isn't about a cool car. I deposited $1k for model 3 because if I can receive Federal and CA tax rebate plus other State and local incentives, the actual cost can be below $25k. Local agencies seems to have some rebate(s) about in-garage level-2 charger. If by the time I can get the car but Tesla already excess Federal rebate limit of 200,000 I may cancel my pre-order.

My expectation of performance/handling is model 3 should be similar to BMW 328i with MSRP north of $35k without many options.

Also, running cost should be substantially lower because these:

Charging at home from 10-11PM to 6AM would be the cheapest at around 6-10 cents per kWh, 1kWh should provide 3.5-4.0 miles driving, so $1 of electricity should give me about 35-40 miles compares with $5-6 for gas to drive 328i the same distance (gasoline in California is expensive)

Minimum maintenance, no need to change these: oil, ATF, PSF, coolant.

No need to do smog test every 2 years(I hate this when you failed and have to go back another time).

Use of car pool lane even when driving alone.

Ten years later I may get more $ when trade it in (or sell it to a Colorado resident).

I have at least an ICE car to travel long distance, 200 miles is plenty for local(Orange county to San Diego or LA). Also, Tesla is planning to double supercharger stations in 2-3 years, stopping every 2.5-3.0 hours for 30 minutes to charge battery and rest isn't too bad.

Summary: From consumers point of view, an EV is a good choice if we can get various rebates to bring down the cost.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
It isn't about a cool car. I deposited $1k for model 3 because if I can receive Federal and CA tax rebate plus other State and local incentives, the actual cost can be below $25k. Local agencies seems to have some rebate(s) about in-garage level-2 charger. If by the time I can get the car but Tesla already excess Federal rebate limit of 200,000 I may cancel my pre-order.

My expectation of performance/handling is model 3 should be similar to BMW 328i with MSRP north of $35k without many options.

Also, running cost should be substantially lower because these:

Charging at home from 10-11PM to 6AM would be the cheapest at around 6-10 cents per kWh, 1kWh should provide 3.5-4.0 miles driving, so $1 of electricity should give me about 35-40 miles compares with $5-6 for gas to drive 328i the same distance (gasoline in California is expensive)

Minimum maintenance, no need to change these: oil, ATF, PSF, coolant.

No need to do smog test every 2 years(I hate this when you failed and have to go back another time).

Use of car pool lane even when driving alone.

Ten years later I may get more $ when trade it in (or sell it to a Colorado resident).

I have at least an ICE car to travel long distance, 200 miles is plenty for local(Orange county to San Diego or LA). Also, Tesla is planning to double supercharger stations in 2-3 years, stopping every 2.5-3.0 hours for 30 minutes to charge battery and rest isn't too bad.

Summary: From consumers point of view, an EV is a good choice if we can get various rebates to bring down the cost.

I simply cannot find any words to comment this!

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
My expectation of performance/handling is model 3 should be similar to BMW 328i with MSRP north of $35k without many options.

I simply cannot find any words to comment this!

According to R&T, 328i(3L 6-cyl) 2006-2011 do 6.0 sec 0-60 MPH, 328i(2L 4-cyl turbo) 2012-present do 5.6 sec 0-60 MPH.

Tesla projects model 3 base do less than 6 sec 0-60 MPH. The power option may get it under 5 sec or even under 4 sec which is M3 territory.

Anyway, around 6 sec 0-60 is plenty fast for most drivers.

Also, since the battery is mounted under the floor therefore it has very low center of gravity, this should improve the handling.

I'm very sure that the press will get a model 3 way before I can actually place order, they will test it with the best compact sedans in price range $35-50k. We will see how model 3 compete with other. Please note that I said "Similar" I didn't say "Equal". This means it may be behind(or ahead) a little in all categories, such as 0-60 in 5.8 sec ...

As of now, Tesla model S(with performance option) performs better(0-60MPH) than all large luxury sedan in its price range(up to $150-200k) in the world.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
My expectation of performance/handling is model 3 should be similar to BMW 328i with MSRP north of $35k without many options.

I simply cannot find any words to comment this!

According to R&T, 328i(3L 6-cyl) 2006-2011 do 6.0 sec 0-60 MPH, 328i(2L 4-cyl turbo) 2012-present do 5.6 sec 0-60 MPH.

Tesla projects model 3 base do less than 6 sec 0-60 MPH. The power option may get it under 5 sec or even under 4 sec which is M3 territory.

Anyway, around 6 sec 0-60 is plenty fast for most drivers.

Also, since the battery is mounted under the floor therefore it has very low center of gravity, this should improve the handling.

I'm very sure that the press will get a model 3 way before I can actually place order, they will test it with the best compact sedans in price range $35-50k. We will see how model 3 compete with other. Please note that I said "Similar" I didn't say "Equal". This means it may be behind(or ahead) a little in all categories, such as 0-60 in 5.8 sec ...

As of now, Tesla model S(with performance option) performs better(0-60MPH) than all large luxury sedan in its price range(up to $150-200k) in the world.

Well, at least we know profile of the Tesla buyer.
Apparently Musk figured out how to make better handling car then BMW, although Audi, Mercedes and others are trying to do that for decades.
Impressive to say the least.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
My expectation of performance/handling is model 3 should be similar to BMW 328i with MSRP north of $35k without many options.

Well, at least we know profile of the Tesla buyer.
Apparently Musk figured out how to make better handling car then BMW, although Audi, Mercedes and others are trying to do that for decades.
Impressive to say the least.

I said "Similar", I didn't say model 3 handling will be "better" than BMW 3-series of the similar price.

Quote:
Tesla Model S Outperforms Mercedes-Benz S500 and BMW 750Li in German Test Drive Review


Quote:
“Already tested and reviewed, the Tesla Model S has delivered a brilliant idea. The Americans aim with the stylish electric car quite openly to the luxury class of Mercedes and BMW. Do the German premium manufacturers fear the upstart seriously or they can fend off the attack easily?”

Conclusion

“In our testing, the Tesla Model S scored eight first, a second and three third places, bringing it to the front. The new Mercedes S-Class and the BMW 7 share second place. Mercedes and BMW score with premium comfort features and a high level of security, but the Tesla wins due to it clever body and the innovative operating concept, especially the E-drive – the range is enormous for an electric car. Otherwise, the German vehicles come surprisingly close to the Tesla.”


http://insideevs.com/tesla-model-s-outpe...t-drive-review/


To say that BMW's handling is the best in the world isn't correct.

BMW 3-series was and is the best handling compact sedan for quite some time. But BMW convertible wasn't as good as others, 2000 BMW Z3 and 2003 Z4(with similar engine size) was beaten badly by Honda S2000 in all performance/handling categories, even newer 2003 Z4 with 3L 6-cyl could not compete with 2000 S2000 with 2L 4-cyl on the track. It was 0.1 sec faster to 60MPH and quarter mile.

Car&Driver's opinion about 2003 BMW Z4:

Quote:
That said, the record shows that the Z4 makes bigger numbers on the test track than any of the others, if only by a shade. The 5.3-second 0-to-60 squeaked ahead of the Honda by 0.1 second and out front of the Nissan by twice that. The quarter-mile blurs past in 14 seconds flat, again 0.1 second ahead of the Honda, and this time, 0.3 up on the 350Z. All three clock an identical 99 mph in the distance.


Quote:
It never gets endearing, either. The engine is quiet until the hammer goes down, which produces a blaring exhaust lacking any nuance or interesting harmonics. The steering cuts with little buildup of effort, leading some to complain of too-easy steering. Same for the brakes; pedal effort doesn't rise much as you ramp up the retardation. In the twisties, most drivers brace against the wheel and complain of the loose-fitting seat.

On less-than-perfect roads, the Z4 has a nervous, darty feel. The wheel constantly steers itself if you hold it loosely, or fights you when you grab tight.

This is clearly not a great handling car.

Car&Driver's opinion about 2000 Honda S2000:

Quote:
Haring around is not the mandatory driving style in sports cars, but to qualify for the class they must be capable of it. And if you drive this Honda politely, you'll never know about its other moods. Ride harshness is Boxster level, but the car feels much crisper. Weight is less by 189 pounds, and the controls are sharper. The clutch stroke is succinct. The stubby aluminum shifter travels in microflicks. Precision machinery, that's the feel.

This is a great handling car.

Quote:
Above 6000, no more nice little Honda. The VTEC cams switch to HP max, and the sound hardens to combat steel and you're in the full Formula 1 mode, [censored]-bent on a grid position at Monte Carlo. Default to fighting reflexes. Lead the arcing yellow as you would a low-flying clay. Don't wait for it to touch the nine-grand redline; you'll be into the rev limiter. Pull. Snick! Push. Snick! Pull. Snick!


Quote:
This is a scalpel-quick sports car when you keep it boiling, quickest of the bunch around the BeaveRun road course, barely behind the Z4 in acceleration, even though it gives away a full liter of displacement. Think intensity. Think fury.


http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/...omparison-tests

Summary, Tesla model 3 with appropriate options can easily run with BMW 3-series, it may even outperform all BMW 3-series in acceleration.