Chinese mother-in-law trying to go electric but is hesitant

[CyberT]

There is nothing more luxurious than your car driving you around town. Good luck having a Mercedes do that.

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[Zantosh76]

Tell her it's made in China. Show her photos of the Shanghai factory

I'm slowly convincing her it's a better choice. Key selling factors:

• She can share the car with me so if she has an issue, I can debug and assist somewhat from remote
• I've pointed out that as a 6 year Tesla owner, I haven't had any maintenance issues in that time versus her Mercedes that sounds like it's going to die and it's also only 6 years old
• Compared to a Volvo electric, the Tesla doesn't have a line across the front, her interpretation of a cross out that she says is bad luck. Chinese mother-in-law tend to see bad luck in seemingly innocuous things!
• Tesla cars are simply roomier than gasoline counterparts

Having done all this work, it's still a long way off without some older mainland Chinese person saying that it's an ok car. Seems an ok is as good as a high compliment and you should take it as meaning it's excellent.

 

[Zantosh76]

There is nothing more luxurious than your car driving you around town. Good luck having a Mercedes do that.

Well, her Mercedes literally didn't even let her drive herself around and dropped her on the side of the interstate. Yet, she is hesitant.

 

[Wonderful]

We all know she would love the Model Y but yes most asian cultures try to one up each other. She will want an X or a Lexus hybrid. A few thai ladies were showing off their Model X with the go wing doors and getting their status up with the local asian community. But most will want that brand symbol. She might not be ready for an electric because the brand isn't as powerful of a status symbol.

 

[cyberos]

@Zantosh76 I actually have some experience with your situation. Here are my thoughts:

1. Her Chinese friends are going to pick apart every little detail of any new car she buys
2. They are going to hold it up to the brand standard that cars like Mercedes and Land Rovers set
3. Exterior styling is one thing but interior styling is where your MIL will be judged most harshly
4. IMHO a fully loaded Tesla Model X is actually the best car for your MIL
5. Model X has a better interior than the Cybertruck, and I say this as a Cybertruck fan
6. Model X is closer to the premium trims in Mercedes
7. The traditional steering wheel in a Model X will score your MIL more social points than the Cybertruck's steer-by-wire and rear wheel steering. As awesome as these features are, they are a little mystifying if you're not well informed on the tech

For context, I refused to buy Teslas until the Cybertruck genuinely impressed me. If I'm recommending a Model X it's because I really believe it will win a Chinese culture war

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