“I really wonder when you, Mr. Zetsche (CEO of Daimler), or you, Mr. Diess (CEO of the Volkswagen group), or Mr. Krüger of BMW will be able to build an electric car that has half of the sensuality of a Tesla. As far as the attractiveness of your electric cars is concerned, you could come up with new ideas.”
The words are from the German minister of economic affairs and energy, Peter Altmaier, uttered during an event related to artificial intelligence, referring to Tesla's sexy electrics and the lack of them in German builders.
According to Spiegel, the German minister had no direct response from those targeted, but it is also true that they were not present. But is he correct or is it just a matter of personal taste?
Tesla, synonymous with sexy electrics
What is certain is that the sexy sells, also in cars, regardless of the type of engine. Just look at Tesla.
No matter how many problems they have, if there is something that nobody takes away from the little Tesla, it is that of having changed the perception we had of the electric car and without a doubt that its design and aesthetics contributed a lot to that.
The Model S, the first designed and developed from scratch by the brand (the Roadster was an adaptation of the Lotus Elise), bet on elegance and consensuality — we could even say that it is conservative in "sticking" to the paradigms of car design with engines thermals — even a front “grill” was present, however removed…
No doubt it worked, and both the Model S and Model 3 can be perceived as sexy electrics, at least when compared to the other electrics on sale — with the exception of the Model X which is not sexy at all. Even the names of Tesla models bet on sexy or… S, 3, X, Y (the next model to be released) — Elon Musk with a sense of humour…
German answer
German builders, especially the powerful premium trio, were slow to respond to Tesla, and truth be told, their efforts have so far not received the best reviews — Audi and Mercedes-Benz this year unveiled the e-tron and EQC crossovers, respectively — not only because of the visual proximity to the models with heat engine, but also because of the aesthetic options taken to differentiate them.
Hardly crossovers and SUVs give rise to sexy models — not even Tesla could — but looking at the Jaguar I-Pace, we realize that it's possible to combine a new propulsion and packaging system, with new proportions and consensually appealing lines.
Redemption may come with the presentation of future electric saloons, a body more suited to sensual qualities — the Porsche Taycan promises a lot in this regard…
Vulnerabilities
The mighty German car industry, once nearly untouchable and immune to criticism, has been in difficult times. The post-Dieselgate scrutiny has been meticulous, and the pressure to shift mobility paradigms—from the combustion engine to the electric—has been immense.
This current “vulnerability” of the German car industry has given rise to more comments and criticism, where, as we can see, even the look of their “v2.0” models deserves repairs by a political figure.
There is no doubt, however, that they are betting on electric mobility — all analysts refer to the future dominant role of the Germans in electric cars over the next decade, enjoying not only superior production capacity but also superior economies of scale.