Report: Tesla customers more likely to forgive problems

Tesla customers have been historically willing to forgive glitches in $150,000-plus luxury cars, but that same attitude is unlikely to apply to the much more affordable Model 3.

That's the view held by influential US group J.D. Power, which expects owners of the circa-$60,000 Model 3 to be "less forgiving" of potential flaws.

Kathleen Rizk is the director of global automotive consulting at J.D. Power, which released a special report surrounding the brand this week.

She says Tesla's existing customer base "see themselves as pioneers who enjoy being early adopters of new technology", but that may change when Tesla ramps up production to take on mainstream brands.

"Spending $100,000 [US dollars] or more on a vehicle that has so many problems usually would have a dramatically negative effect on sales and brand perception. Right now, though, Tesla seems immune from such disenchanted customers," she says.

"When consumers buy a mass-market car priced around $35,000 [USD] that will be their primary mode of transportation, the degree of expectation will increase immensely.

"We've seen that with other well-liked brands, whether or not it involves an electric vehicle."

More than 250,000 people have pre-ordered Tesla's upcoming Model 3, putting down fully refundable cash deposits to reserve a vehicle. Australian customers lined up before dawn to secure their place in the queue, with local deliveries of the rival BMW 3-Series are likely to start in 2018.

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