> A properly engineered drivetrain will be able to sustain its launches over several back-to-back activations
All cars designed primarily for the highway rather than the track have issues with brake heating, transmission fluid heating, et cetera, and slow down over time. The Model S is extreme in that manner, but the Model 3 slowdowns are are far less extreme than the S's limp mode.
> NHTSA recently sent Tesla a cease-and-desist letter over misleading statements about the Model 3′s safety rating.
Having the NHTSA say "A lack of evidence proving you're not the safest isn't the same as saying you are the safest" isn't really bad news or bad publicity.
> The machines they ship will hit a number, and then they will hit that number again, and again, and again, and again. And that won't fade. It won't destroy the battery. It won't get nerfed with an over-the-air update a couple of months after hitting the market.
The big manufacturers have been promising "Tesla killers" for a decade now. They've continually disappointed. This is Porsche's first production BEV. There will be compromises, they will make mistakes. It still might be a Tesla killer, substantially better than the new Tesla Roadster coming next year but up until they're shipping in volume and have had some time to shake out both cars are brochure-ware.