“‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,’ – that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

–John Keats

Prologue: Tesla (TSLA) vs General Motors (GM)

Since its debut in November, the takes on GM’s Chevy Bolt have been rolling in. Bloomberg asks: is it a “Tesla Killer”? The next day Bloomberg downgrades the Bolt from “Tesla killer” to “Ugly Car of the (Very Near) Future”. This comical contrast raises an important point. As much as commentators have poured over factors like range, price, and the Bolt’s lack of Supercharging, they have neglected the most important reason people buy cars: aesthetics. Is the Chevy Bolt a serious competitor to the Tesla Model 3? Well, just look at them.

The Chevy Bolt. Photo credit: Automobile Italia.

The Tesla Model 3. Photo credit: Tesla.

Need I say more?

Okay, I probably do. Beauty is subjective. But tastemakers like Tesla’s head of design, Franz von Holzhausen, are generously compensated for a reason. People like what they create.

So I sought out to prove that the Tesla Model 3 is widely seen as a beautiful car by conducting a survey. But I didn’t just compare the Model 3 and the Bolt. Oh, no, no, that would be too boring. I put the Model 3 up against some of the most of the classically beautiful sports cars in the world.

The Main Event: Tesla vs. Porsche (POAHF), Ferrari (RACE), Alfa Romeo (FCAU), and Aston Martin

The contestants:

• The Tesla Model 3

• The Porsche 911

• The Ferrari 488 Spider

• The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

• The Aston Martin Vanquish

The results:

You can see the survey for yourself. I surveyed 100 people from Mechanical Turk. 77 respondents were in the United States, 20 were in India, and one each were in Romania, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

The Model 3 was chosen as the most beautiful car the least often, with only 4% of respondents. However, it wasn’t that far behind the Porsche 911 - a classically beautiful and desired car - with 10%. Keep in mind that the base price of the Model 3 is $35,000, whereas the Porsche 911 starts at $91,000.

The Porsche 911 is one of my personal favourite cars in terms of aesthetics, so I was surprised it didn’t fare better in the survey. I also find the Model 3 beautiful, and I have a hunch my taste for both cars and the poll results are not a coincidence. The design of the Model 3 is vaguely reminiscent of the Porsche 911. It's even more reminiscent of the Porsche Panamera If you squint, the Panamera (an $85,000 car) looks almost like a Model 3. I did a double-take the last time a Panamera drove past, thinking for a second that I was looking at a Model 3.

The Porsche Panamera. Photo credit: Raphael Jean, MotorBlog.com.

The Aston Martin Vanquish was far and away the most popular choice with 41%. That’s understandable. The Vanquish is a gorgeous car. I recently got a good look at one in person and it is a head-turner. But it also comes with a $303,000 price tag.

On a price-adjusted basis, the Model 3 beats the Porsche 911 and the Ferrari 488, and is not far behind the Aston Martin Vanquish. The Alfa Romeo 4C shines on this metric:

It should be noted that the Model 3 is the only four-door car of the bunch. The Model 3 has an advantage both in price and practicality.

Demand for the Model 3 will be epic

By my taste, the Model 3 will be the most beautiful car in its price range. The data from my survey suggests that many car buyers will be inclined to agree. Since aesthetics is the most important factor in the decision to buy a car, the Model 3 is well-positioned for an enormous volume of demand. We’ve already seen hard evidence of this in the Model 3’s 455,000 reservations.

The Model 3 combines a beautiful exterior with economic appeal: a base cost around the U.S. average for performance competitive with similarly priced gasoline cars. Inside, it has a slick touchscreen centre console that regularly receives over-the-air software updates, unlike the clunky, outdated infotainment systems in other vehicles that most drivers can’t stand to use. It is fun to drive, with fast acceleration and no engine noise. Perhaps most importantly, it comes with the cutting edge in advanced driver assistance technology. Based on these factors, the Model 3 will be one of the most popular cars in America. All Tesla has to do is make them.

My recommendation: buy TSLA and hold on a very long-term basis.