I'm only ever reporting from
I'm only ever reporting from the EV bubble when speculating on the impact of upcoming models, so this honestly isn't intended as an assessment of the Model Y on wider crossover sales. Rather, I see Ford and Volkswagen as genuinely attempting to stake a claim in the BEV marketplace and the Model Y is a genuine threat to that potential. A lot will depend on pricing and availability, but if we assume the ID. 4, "Mach E," Volvo XC40 Recharge and Model Y are the options to be cross-shopped, Tesla is going to take pole position on several fronts. Performance, charging speed and network, efficiency, and (arguably) technology, to name just a few. That leaves factors like luxury, where the likes of Volvo should be better, and more subjective aspects like aesthetics and interior design for the others to tout, but it's not much.
In terms of the wider auto world, we obviously still have a long way to go. The vehicles discussed herein are just another small step towards electrification, giving buyers options to consider in a segment where they only currently have two or three extremely expensive all-electric options. The first step is getting at least a couple of affordable BEV options in every key vehicle category, which is unlikely to be the case until 2023 at the earliest from what we can see right now.