There are other reasons Tesla started with a high-end model. Because building the cars was going to take a lot of R&D, Tesla supported the cost by starting with fancy sports cars, which have a better ROI, and then used the technology to manufacture less pricey cars later on.
Source (ctrl + f "the business plan"): http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/06/how-tesla-will-change-your-lif...
True, I didn't mean to imply it was the only reason - more that it's good example of appealing to human self-interest to fix a larger problem.
When you are building a company, being able to sell a product is more important than just building a world class product.
A lot of other companies went that way but there was no result out of it. There is a reason for the way Tesla went :) They needed a bucket load of money to finance building a mass produced vehicle.
If you want to do the right thing long term, provide products that do the right thing and market them on a personal level.