I dropped by around 9 pm this evening. It was quite the event. The store was swarming with excited, very impressed, and stylish Newport Beach folks. They have a large, attractive staff dressed in Tesla running suits. They had barristas making lattes, but they shut down before I got one. They were giving out Hot Wheels (TM) of the Roadster. I grabbed one as swag for Gary and one for myself.As TRONZ said, the store replaced the old Apple store and it is located near Macy's, facing the inner court near the koi ponds and the Atrium.
They had the white colored Beta model from the drive event up in Fremont on the showroom floor. They said that the red one is in Chicago right now. They are allowing, in fact they are encouraging sitting in the car. They have a Tesla specialist sitting in the front passenger seat, explaining the interior features for a five minute spiel. Apparently, you can sit in the rear and then switch to the driver's seat after the spiel. They also have the "skateboard" on display, the aluminum frame that carries the battery box and the front and rear running gear, as well as the motor.
The car is beautiful and very impressive and I can see why everyone who has seen the prototypes is excited. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement and get a case of "the wants". Personally, the car is a bit large for my tastes. I'd rather have a capable small sports EV as well as a family EV or PHEV of a smaller size than the S, but that is personal taste. I also have concerns about Tesla's reliance on touch screens for all driver interactions. They are proud to tell you that there are only three buttons in the interior, the glove box button, the 4-way flashers and one other, maybe the Start button, I can't recall. There were a couple of roller controls on the steering wheel with just +/- markings. They did say that there would be voice commands as well. For me, the array of buttons and touch screen features like the LEAF has is preferable because you can learn to use many of the buttons and rocker switches by touch without taking your eyes off the road. To use touch screen icons, you must look away from the road and watch the display to make sure that you hit the right space on the screen. I really think that Tesla is either going to have to add some buttons or they will have serious customer and press reviewer concerns about the user interface.
The large 17 inch central touch screen with WiFi and 3G is impressive, but I think that it's overkill. They said that their Nav feature will be Google Maps with a scrolling satellite view, but that a more familiar GPS with voice guidance would be an option. I think that should be standard. Again, looking at the big screen will be a distraction, and if you're navigating that way without voice guidance, more dangerous.
I asked if the base ($57,500) 160 mile model would have leather at least and I was told that it would probably be an option and they would have some kind of faux leather or other material as standard.
Watching the progress of the build and delivery roll out, press reactions and build quality of the production model will be fascinating over the next year.
