Among those interested in both the R2 and Model Y…
29% would prefer the model Y regardless of price
21% would only get the R2 if it was cheaper
19% said they would only consider the R2 if it was around the same price.
30% said they would pay a premium for the R2.
Turning to our Van Westendorp pricing analysis conducted via LLM, the data is constructive around pricing power for the upcoming Rivian R2 in the sense that it performs as well (or better) than the Model Y. Naturally, feedback is stronger among existing EV owners and parties interested in the vehicles compared to the general population.
Consumers are more likely to offer positive aesthetic feedback than negative and show a preference for the R2 look over the Model Y. Purchase likelihood is hard to project from feedback pre-launch, but feedback is stable q/q and more consumers think the R2 will be successful (compared to the share who think it will be unsuccessful).
While consumer interest in getting a Tesla at some point in the future has been noisy and off series highs currently, interest in getting a Rivian has increased over the past year.
Autonomous Features
Consumer interest in autonomous driving has been increasing over time.
Tesla Brand Opinion – Right Now, Net Negative
The broader US population has a net negative opinion of the Tesla brand. Among unfavorable respondents, nearly half explicitly cite Elon Musk / leadership as the reason.
Democrats are more likely to be Tesla owners at present than Republicans, and Democrats have a strong negative view of Elon Musk.
The share of consumers who are interested in getting a Tesla who say the primary reason is because of it being an EV has been declining over the history of this survey (more because of the technology or self-driving has been increasing as the top reason).
FSD
Consumers continue to think subscribing monthly for $99 per month would be better than paying $8k up front for FSD.
EVs vs. Gas
Consumers have shown a net preference for gas over EVs and sentiment related questions have been steady in recent history of our survey. That said, we are starting to see some signs of consumers feeling it is increasingly likely that they will buy an EV at some point.
