It drives beautifully (starting, steering, accelerating and braking just work). It is exquisitely comfortable.
But here is what doesn’t work:
- The UX of the user interface sucks: from the information architecture of the dash-display, to the awful interface to the multimedia system; from the two built-in GPS systems which often contradict each other to the non-sensical array of random buttons.
- Having driven electric a few times, driving petro- now feels counte-intuitive and ugly. Read this brilliant review of driving a petrol car once you’ve experience a Tesla. Good read from May 2015
And it is these two areas where traditional auto manufacturers lag new entrants.
Do I trust Apple or Google to provide a better user experience (from UI, to IA, to interaction design) or BMW? Based on my experience of each of those companies, BMW has a lot of catching up to do.
And, yes, BMW has committed to making all its cars electric within 10 years putting them far ahead of the industry.
But it seems that the real competitive dimensions in cars will move away from the things car manufacturers have traditionally competed on (petrol engine performance) towards areas where they have little expertise (user experience, software and electric.)
And that it before ride sharing takes apart the very notion that owning a car is sensible, let alone desirable.
🎓💰 A
detailed look at Uber’s surge pricing by Chicago Booth School of Business.
Highly recommended if you are interested in Uber or pricing strategies across real-time marketplaces. (*Note*: Company supported study.)