Tesla rivals Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron are reportedly struggling to compete - here's how the cars actually compare to the Model X
- The Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron were seen as worthy Tesla challengers when they debuted, but their closest competitor, the Tesla Model X, inches past the two new electric vehicles in several ways.
- Here is how the I-Pace, e-tron, and Model X all compare to each other.
- Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.
The Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron have both been seen as worthy challengers to Tesla killers but seem to have a hard time living up to that name.
The I-Pace, which won the 2019 World Car Design of the Year, hasn't been selling well. Jaguar sold 1,522 cars since January, according to Inside EVs. The e-tron has been doing marginally better, selling a total of 2,513 since sales began in April.
The two luxury electric cars still don't match Tesla in terms of sales. On average, Tesla has sold an estimated 1,461 examples of the model that competes most directly with the two newer electric vehicles, the Model X, per month in the US this year. That's good for a total of 10,225 estimated sales since January, according to Inside EVs.
Both Audi and Jaguar defended the sales performance in statements to Business Insider.
"I-Pace currently represents over 10% of our monthly US sales volume, and this figure has grown since the launch of the vehicle in late 2018," the Jaguar representative said, while an Audi spokesperson said, "We anticipate [e-tron] sales will build momentum."
So how come the Tesla Model X is selling so much better than its closest rivals? For starters, the Model X has, for the most part, stronger specs than the newer electric vehicles.
For example, the Model X Long Range has an estimated range of 325 miles on a full charge. To compare, the I-Pace and e-tron have ranges of 234 miles and 204 miles, respectively.
Tesla has also created its own market niche in electric vehicles, according to Brett Smith, the director of propulsion technologies and energy infrastructure at the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit research group.
"Tesla's position isn't electric cars - [its] position is technology," said Smith in an interview with Business Insider. "[It] also has a leader, Elon [Musk], that creates almost a cult-like following, and neither Audi nor Jaguar have that part of it ... they're competing against a perceived technology revolution with a revolutionary leader."
Take a look at how the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron compare to what Smith calls the "Kleenex of electric vehicles," Tesla.