[maddy42]

Mr Sergio is fun to read most of the time. Only company which clearly stated the reason for the Chrysler 200 having a small rear door which makes entering the rare difficult as the car they copied from had the same specifications "Hyundai sonata" 😬

He is pretty outspoken and is really looking for a big merger too. Who knows!

Maddy

[GrammarNazi]

If I have possibly learnt some small thing about the Auto industry by all these years of observation, it's that NO car/product is sure to be profitable from the word go.

One has to make it profitable.

Tesla has to use its position to leverage & gather as many resources it can (from governments, tech community, public etc ).

Only then will this price point be close to break even, else it'll be like how Nano was supposed to (unofficially) be a '1-Lakh car'.

4L + bookings is a HUGE number & from a very affluent community. I doubt if they'd back out if eventually the price is $10k higher.

It's Tesla's effort & intent that counts. Kindof ALOT.

[karan561]

This is what Tesla is doing to the other car makers in the world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hV1qtiaS24

^ Note: Its a Fan made video & not a commercial

[deetjohn]

It will be a monumental task for Tesla to build and deliver all those cars within a reasonable time frame and without cost overruns. I am very eager to see how this is going to pan out since this is what you call disruptive innovation.


And its no easy ride for Tesla by any means. The recently launched Model X has its fair bit of issues but Tesla has got such a high goodwill (possibly even more than Apple now) that customers are able to put their quality issues in context, understanding that this is a new car from a new company trying to revolutionize the industry.

Tesla Model X Is Suffering From Quality Issues

Some excerpts.

Originally Posted by Jalopnik

The Wall Street Journal tells the story of Ann Carter, a recent Tesla Model X buyer. She owned the $138,000 car for only a couple of days before her falcon wings decided to give up the ghost. In a quote straight out of Desperate Housewives, Carter tells the newspaper she’s embarrassed that others might think: “Look at the Carters—they spent all this money and the doors don’t work.”

Carter’s woes aren’t anomalies, as WSJ mentions Brad Ledwith, a Model X lessee who has also dealt with broken falcon-wing doors. He says he called up the nearest showroom, but had to wait two weeks since Tesla’s service center was allegedly “overloaded with repair orders.”

But the falcon doors aren’t the only issues plaguing the Model X’s launch, as Consumer Reports mentions Michael Karpf, a 75 year-old from New York, who has been having all sorts Model X quality problems.

Aside from his falcon-wing door which wouldn’t close and later dented itself on an overhang, one of Karpf’s windows wouldn’t roll down until it managed to break through a piece of chrome trim. Karpf also complained about the Autopilot system getting confused and the climate control’s inability to keep the cabin warm enough on cool days.

Tesla forums are littered with complaints about fit and finish. Have a look at the .pdf in this thread, which shows bad sealing, poor parts fitment and even rust on the rear seat brackets.

Between these customers’ quality and design complaints, Tesla’s rear seat latch recall and the windshield that causes double-vision, the Model X launch has been pretty tough for the small Palo Alto-based company.

But Tesla owners seem to brush these little quibbles off like they’re nothing. I asked forum user Pheadrus, the person who posted the aforementioned thread on TeslaMotorsClub, whether I could use some of his images in my post. He respectfully declined because he thinks there’s “too much ‘Tesla bashing’ out there already.”

So clearly, Tesla buyers are able to put their quality issues in context, understanding that this is a new car from a new company trying to revolutionize the industry. Quality issues are just growing pains. Even Consumer Reports says “Such issues are expected from a brand-new model.”The Wall Street Journal reports that Ms. Carter and Brad Ledwith also have Tesla’s back. Ledwith says he’s “willing to concede a couple of things,” and Ms. Carter said “I am totally willing to overlook the issues if Tesla fixes it.” She went on to say that that if she had similar issues with her Cadillac Escalade, she “would be furious.”

This is very similar to what happened with the Model S. The car scored poor quality ratings from Consumer Reports, even causing CR to remove their recommendation. Despite all that, the Model S still received high customer satisfaction rankings from the magazine.

[autobahnjpr]

Tesla has got 400,000 bookings for model 3. That is 400 M$ interest free customer funding.

[VPSuchin]

General Motors is getting the first real taste of what its Chevy Bolt is up against: the Tesla brand.

Source:with-tesla-model-3-orders-nearing-400000-chevy-bolt-feels-heat-of-tesla-brand

Also, Tesla Model 3 could have a HUD dashboard, a nice surprise for early depositors

[volkman10]

Tesla's Autopilot Reduces Chances of an Accident by 50 Percent

“The probability of having an accident is 50% lower if you have Autopilot on. Even with our first version. So we can see basically what’s the average number of kilometers to an accident – accident defined by airbag deployment. Even with this early version, it’s almost twice as good as a person.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaJAF4tQVbA

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/te...k-106878.html#

[volkman10]

With the success of its Tesla Model 3 bookings touching ~ 400,000 mark, Elon Musk announces the arrival of the next car probably to be named Tesla Model 4 !

Tesla Model 4 could be a cheaper and more accessible electric car.

There will be future cars that are even more affordable down the road. With something like the Model 3, it's designed such that roughly half of people can afford the car. And then, with fourth generation, and smaller cars and whatnot, we will ultimately be in a position where anyone can afford the car

Expect the smaller car to still offer both performance and range capabilities that better most electric rivals. But, given Tesla’s current product timeline, the reveal of the smaller EV will not happen until 2018.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tesla/9...-ceo-elon-musk

[sgiitk]

Remember the Tesla business model includes own dealerships, which are outsourced in the rest of the auto trade. This involved more infrastructure and costs.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by volkman10

With the success of its Tesla Model 3 bookings touching ~ 400,000 mark, Elon Musk announces the arrival of the next car probably to be named Tesla Model 4 !

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tesla/9...-ceo-elon-musk

Can Tesla please keep quiet about new models and deliver the ones they have released. They just cant go the route of creating market hype by giving some PR stunt always. They should concentrate on the Model 3, figure and sort out all issues on the Model X, increase Market share of the Model S which is their golden goose or atleast the product which got them rave reviews and deliver the Powerwall.

When they go in more directions, the chance of failure is very very high. If they mess up the Model 3, they will not know what hit them. Servicing the Model S and X which sells in low numbers almost takes 2-3 weeks for an appointment so they have their task cut out. Mind you the company does not have a unlimited cash pocket and doing financial jugglery can be bad at low times.

I am really annoyed by the constant news of new projects. It makes sense when google does it, not tesla.

Maddy

[VPSuchin]

Elon Musk Says The Tesla Model 3 Will Have Ludicrous Mode:

The company’s co-founder and CEO, Elon Musk, confirmed on Saturday – via Twitter – that the vehicle will be available with the acceleration-improving option. Of course, since we’re still waiting for more mechanical and performance details about the standard variant – which can go from 0 to 60 mph (96 Km/h) in under six seconds – we can only speculate what sort of performance off the line the Ludicrous variant will boast.

A “hefty” premium over the $35,000 starting price is expected as well, considering that the Ludicrous retrofit for the Model S/X P90D cots $10,000. However, taking into account that it – presumably – won’t accelerate as fast as its bigger siblings from standstill to 60 mph (96 Km/h), a smaller fee could be in order.

Source

[volkman10]

Elon Musk set a deadline of July 1, 2017, to begin Model 3 production, then said that would likely be an impossible goal to meet, cites supply chain development time for Model 3 parts. Europe and China will have Tesla manufacturing plants in the future.

Estimating initial production at 100,00 to 200,000 for the Model 3 in 2017, Musk said that Tesla would be producing 500,000 cars a year in 2018.

The Model 3 was designed to be much less complicated to manufacture than the Model S and Model X. However, the process of developing the parts necessary from suppliers and integrating them into the line would set actual production back. If any of its suppliers failed to meet expectations, Musk said that Tesla would begin fabricating the parts itself at its Fremont factory.

Noting that producing cars in California and shipping them all over the world was inefficient, Musk suggested Tesla might set up factories in Europe and China, but only after maximizing production out of its Fremont plant.

http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/el...-3-impossible/

[Jeeper1941]

An interesting article I read on Reuters:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-tes...-idUKKCN0XO1M3

From the article:

While Tesla has trimmed its average warranty repair cost per premium electric vehicle since 2014, it still spends more than twice as much as General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co, according to a Reuters analysis of company data.
Tesla's warranty costs are also higher than those of Germany's Daimler AG, maker of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars.

Last year, according to a Reuters analysis of data provided in the company's annual report, Tesla spent $1,043 per vehicle on actual repairs and set aside $2,036 in warranty accruals to cover future repairs on the vehicles it sold in 2015. It trimmed warranty expenses by 17 percent from 2014 and cut warranty accruals by 34 percent.
Meanwhile, GM spent just $400 last year for every vehicle it sold on warranty repairs and set aside $332 for future work. Ford spent $429 per vehicle and set aside $308. Daimler spent $970 per vehicle and set aside $1,294.
While Tesla builds only two models and last year sold just 50,000 vehicles, GM, Ford and Daimler all have widely disparate product lines and sell millions of vehicles a year. And where Tesla's 2015 revenue was just over $4 billion, the three larger automakers reported revenues of $150 billion and more.

And how about those Falcon doors?

Tesla has been contending with complaints from owners about problems with Model S sedans and the recently launched Model X sport utility vehicle. Some customers have complained on internet forums that doors on their Model X SUVs wouldn't latch properly. Complaints about the Model X were amplified in April when Consumer Reports highlighted problems with the SUV.
Fort Lauderdale Model X owner Colin Campbell told Reuters he loved his car, although he had to drive 30 miles home one day with one hand on the door, trying to keep it shut.

And just yesterday, two of the most senior VPs of manufacturing announced their departure from Tesla. They also got downgraded by about every analyst out there. They are loosing money at a record pace each quarter, and are loosing key people at a rate eleven times the industry average. All of those things scream a major problem going on, which people seem to be oblivious to. At this rate, Tesla is not going to survive to even deliver the first Model 3.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

It will be a monumental task for Tesla to build and deliver all those cars within a reasonable time frame and without cost overruns. I am very eager to see how this is going to pan out since this is what you call disruptive innovation.

Elon Musk is one of the Pioneers of Disruptive Innovation. Starting with PayPal he has now moved to Tesla and SpaceX.

[KiloAlpha]

And now Elon Musk is going to live in his factory to try and make good the promise of delivering on his promises:

http://www.wired.com/2016/05/tesla-j...ge-even-huger/