Luxury carmaker BMW has fired a couple of salvos at Tesla.
BMW has launched two ads—one called “Waiting” and another called “Wait or Drive“—questioning why people are waiting to get their hands on a Tesla Model 3 when they can already buy the BMW 330e, a plug-in hybrid sedan. BMW doesn’t mention Tesla by name, but is obviously talking about the California automaker when it references waitlists, deposits, and “that electric car company” and its “new model.”
“You can pay your deposit, and wait,” one of the ad’s narrator says. “You can put your name on a list, and wait. You can get in line, and wait. You can wait, or you can drive.”
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Both ads promote a hashtag also presumably aimed at Tesla: “#WaitOrDrive.”
In truth, those who want a Tesla (TSLA) can get their hands on rather quickly—if they want to buy the Model S or Model X already available.
However, the BMW 330e is aimed at the same budget-friendly market Tesla is gunning for with its much cheaper Model 3. That car, which was unveiled on March 31, became an overnight success for would-be electric car seekers. After just a few weeks, the number of preorders Tesla had notched rose to nearly 400,000.
Tesla has already cautioned that customers will need to take some time before they’ll actually ride in the Model 3. The car won’t start shipping until late 2017, and some of those on the bottom of the list might need to wait until 2018 or even later to get their car.
For its part, Tesla has said that it will spend about $2.25 billion on capital expenditures to get the first Model 3s to customers, but that timetable has caught some flak from critics who wish Tesla could move more quickly.
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf7KvtGNMbQ
BMW’s latest attack on Tesla hints at customers questioning their Tesla buying decisions with hopes of capitalizing on those second guesses before the end of next year. Still, whether Tesla drivers or those hoping to be one will change their minds and go with a BMW remains to be seen.
The 330e is capable of running on electric power for up to 25 miles on a full charge, but it is technically a hybrid, requiring gas the rest of the way. Tesla’s cars, in comparison, are fully electric. So, BMW isn’t technically comparing identical car technology in its ads.
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Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.