Tesla to close most of its stores and sell online

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245296/tesla-stores-closing-online-only-car-sales (Feb 28, 2019)

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In a major shift, Tesla announced that it will only sell its vehicles online. The electric carmaker will close most of its stores over the "next few months" and lay off some retail employees. Tesla announced the move at the same time it said it will finally begin to sell its long-promised $35,000 Model 3.

Customers who purchase their Teslas online will have up to a week to return the car if they aren't satisfied. In a call with reporters Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he was confident that few customers would exercise this option. The move to e-commerce will help Tesla cut some operating expenses, as well as avoid dealing with local politics that have prevented it from operating its own stores in certain states including Connecticut, New Mexico and others.

(CONTINUED)
 
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I'm all for it, especially for appliance type cars. Of course, getting a fantastic bargain like a leftover will also be a thing of the past.
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
So if you buy one and it has an issue under warranty, what happens?



The service centers are not closing and they still do onsite repairs for somethings also.
 
I would not want to buy a car without test driving one. Sounds like a poor car buying experience.
 
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I see your point; spending that kinda $$ without a test drive is crazy.
However, you can test drive one. We ordered ours at a service center; they keep a limited amount of test drivers; just a couple per variant.
We drove a mid range rear wheel drive and ordered one with a few more options.
The 1st 15 minutes you sit in the car with an advisor to understand how the car works; they are different.
Watch out when you hit the gas(?) pedal; these things are faaaaast.

During the final days of December, they had cars on the lot for immediate delivery to take advantage of the tax credit.
The "stores", at least in Silicon Valley, never carried inventory.
 
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Just closing some loopholes for "cannot sell it without a franchise".

People who want a Tesla, know where to go to test drive it. The service centers aren't closing anyways.

At this point they don't need to ask people to come and buy it, they just need to make them cheap enough and people will buy it. It may change 5 years down the road, but that's 5 years down the road.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Tesla should have a store front on Amazon.

I'd love to buy one through Amazon.

With prime shipping and no hassle returns.
lol.gif
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tesla had a $1billion debt deadline as of today. My guess is they will default.



It not today it will be someday.
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Tesla should have a store front on Amazon.

I'd love to buy one through Amazon.

With prime shipping and no hassle returns.
lol.gif



And if you need a part, they'll just 3D print it on your home printer!
 
Make sense for them...

People will still be able to check and test drive them, service centers will still be around, and there's a 7 day xxxx satisfaction return period. There's no price haggling with Tesla, the price is the price.
 
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Originally Posted by StevieC
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Tesla should have a store front on Amazon.

I'd love to buy one through Amazon.

With prime shipping and no hassle returns.
lol.gif



You joke (I think) but that's actually not a bad idea. Could you imagine if Amazon handled the logistics of shipping a vehicle, let's say standard shipping was 30 days and Prime members would have it in 14. It may seem trivial, but that could be the beginning of a fruitful partnership, let's not forget that Amazon has been looking into autonomous tech for quite some time now.
 
Lightning Deal: Replacement Battery Packs.

Add-On Item: Unlock a feature in your car that you didn't pay for.

Deal of the day: Free Charging at select Tesla charging stations.


Maybe we are on to something.... #Tesla
 
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I wonder what the return rate would be? A lot of new cars have minor issues that can be addressed by dealerships. Amazon?

Also, all those returns get sent right back out until they get happily accepted.

I don't mind new ideas but on cars I still like to kick the tires and test drive it first.
 
The fact that they are hemorrhaging top brass at the company, is what we call a clue. Closing all the stores and selling online only, is what we also call a clue.

If Tesla were an airplane, its engines would be on fire, and it would be doing a barrel role towards earth.

Want to drive a Tesla for a free, for a week? Buy one, then return it a week later. Free car rental.
 
Originally Posted by bubbatime
The fact that they are hemorrhaging top brass at the company, is what we call a clue. Closing all the stores and selling online only, is what we also call a clue.

If Tesla were an airplane, its engines would be on fire, and it would be doing a barrel role towards earth.

Want to drive a Tesla for a free, for a week? Buy one, then return it a week later. Free car rental.


That would have been pretty sweet in Hawaii, they had at least 2 tesla stores I went past.

Free rental for a week..hmmm
 
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