Tesla US Sales Numbers

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Could be. Tesla enjoyed initial 'gotta have' status, but the reliability is still bad and the early adopters all have their cars and might not bother with another.

Gasoline is still cheap and no shortage of supply for the next 100 years or so.
 
Hmm, fad wearing off? The prices of their vehicles plus the constrains of an all electric vehicle are condensing the consumer population that might purchase one. They have also had a bit of a checkered quality history.

This could very well be the start of a trend.
 
Probably. The novelty is wearing off, and there's no major product refresh. It's the same car it always was.

Probably safe to say that most people who buy a 5-Series/E-Class/etc. over a Model S are making a bad call. But I guess it's not unusual to see market trends driven by bad calls.

This is probably my bias talking, but I wouldn't be surprised if poor customizability were one of the factors. Tesla's configurator doesn't really let you do much with the cars, and I can't be the only one who can't configure the car he really wants.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Probably safe to say that most people who buy a 5-Series/E-Class/etc. over a Model S are making a bad call.

Do you mean from a driving dynamics perspective?
 
IIRC, Tesla is moving more toward battery production to keep their company afloat. I believe they are resolved to the fact that their cars won't keep their company viable.
 
The stock price is up anyway. TSLA is capitalized higher than Ford now.
 
Originally Posted By: Matagonka
Once the new $35k Teslas come out, sales will boost.



I was just about to type this, but I thought a bit more about it. With competitors building cheaper EV's such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt and Ford Cmax, I think they have a hard road ahead of them. Unless they offer some edge over the other big 3-4 EV's, I find buying a Tesla over one of them a hard sell.

I think they need to simplify and build a $20-25K commuter, not everyone wants all the fancy electronics etc in their DD. I would like a electric daily driver to take on my 30 mile commute to work but even at $35K that's still too expensive for DD duty.

You could purchase a new $20K car to commute in and the difference in price between it and a EV ( with gas @ $3) would pay for gas/maintenance for the life of the car...
 
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There are a few headwinds Tesla is now facing:

1. Early adopters are largely in already for the vehicles they can afford. Maybe they'll see more when the Model 3 (I think that's the 35k model) are selling. But for how long.

2. Some tax incentives have expired. It's much easier to sell your car when you can pass off some of the costs to the taxpayer. It gets harder when the car has to make the value proposition at full MSRP.

3. Relatively low fuel costs. With the average price of unleaded gasoline hovering under $2.50/gallon, it's hard to make the case for an all electric that is around $100k to buy.

I'm not anti-electric. I just want it to succeed because it's a good product, not because someone successfully lobbied government to spread the costs to the taxpayer.
 
Innovators always struggle. It's how it goes.
Let's see in 10 years where they stand. Electricity was an original "horsepower" so perhaps it comes full circle..........
 
Tesla-will not be in (the auto) business in 10 years....maybe 5.
 
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"Green" is good.
Even though zillions of people's driving is well served by an electric's range, many won't buy 'em because it'd have to be a 3rd or 4th car in the family.

At least cheaper electric vehicles are there to choose from.
 
Originally Posted By: Matagonka
Once the new $35k Teslas come out, sales will boost.



How long will they last if they sell the Model 3's at a loss?
They then have to compete with the Chevy Bolt in the "Working Person's Transportation Appliance" market niche instead of having the "Hey Look At Me, I'm A Wealthy Greenie" market niche all to themselves.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
IIRC, Tesla is moving more toward battery production to keep their company afloat. I believe they are resolved to the fact that their cars won't keep their company viable.


LOL, locking up all that precious lithium in stationary substation applications and people's houses...where lithium simply isn't needed.
 
The battery business is a key part to the Tesla strategy in part due to pressure from Panasonic. Panasonic has invested and loaned billions to Tesla/Musk and is getting impatient on getting some return on their end. Elon meanwhile has been pushing space travel.

Elon may be a brilliant mind but his business actions have irked quite a few. Yet, the stock continues to climb. For the record, I do not nor have I ever owned shares of TSLA.
 
YOu go to say Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam and you will see Tesla's lined up as far as the eye can see as taxis. They have charging stations in the taxi line and they have wind power. Nearly the same in Denmark. Norway - they are everywhere. All these countries have gas at around $8/gal ...

Model S 85D is a screamin hot rod. I want one as a toy. They are blazin fast and quiet. I just don't want to pony up the price tag ...

Would I take it to LA, not ... Would I take it to Santa Cruz - you bet
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As long as gas is around $2.50/gal, they are in trouble. Make gas $5/gal and they are a deal. It's all about the carbon tax, or lack there-of ...

Trump won't do carbon tax. We'll see what his successor does ...
 
Some of those countries also have ridiculous electricity prices as well. I know Denmark does. They import the vast majority of their power, and for the privilege pay the highest rates in Europe at close to $0.50/kWh. Germany is right on their heels.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
There are a few headwinds Tesla is now facing:

1. Early adopters are largely in already for the vehicles they can afford. Maybe they'll see more when the Model 3 (I think that's the 35k model) are selling. But for how long.

2. Some tax incentives have expired. It's much easier to sell your car when you can pass off some of the costs to the taxpayer. It gets harder when the car has to make the value proposition at full MSRP.

3. Relatively low fuel costs. With the average price of unleaded gasoline hovering under $2.50/gallon, it's hard to make the case for an all electric that is around $100k to buy.

I'm not anti-electric. I just want it to succeed because it's a good product, not because someone successfully lobbied government to spread the costs to the taxpayer.


I suppose you have the overhang of non -subsidized used cars dragging down the demand for the new.

Plus, at some point a car that has six times as many repairs as a normal car starts to hurt sales.
 
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