The battle of “which” that raged on between Thomas Eddison and N. Tesla may rear it’s head again as Cadillac’s face off the Teslas’s with their ELR. But I’ve got to give it to both, for contemporary and conservative young buyers, even style and price may not cut it. I believe Tesla gives far more in buyer appeal than any electric car in the same segment.
The question though is, has Tesla built a brand strong enough to go head on with one of Americas top auto symbols? Perhaps yes and no. I think consumers feel the unleashed potential of Tesla something out of the ordinary which makes conservatives slightly ruffled and yet delighted. Coupled with the natural looking design of an executive looking car, Tesla does have both design and engineering edge, less afraid of embracing change yet maintaining certain fundamental design queues, especially from the external look’n’feel.
Cadillac may give Tesla a run for it’s money, but then and again it will be highly market oriented. Win some loose some will playout withing the global context. But what’s more important is for Tesla to expand it’s market aggresively and expeditiously outside the US. If you can’t beat at brand ground, then change the field of play and up the ante.
Readmore on Cadilacs ELR:
http://www.gizmag.com/cadillac-elr-ev-test-drive/32644/