Can Tesla UK increase new car cost on existing order?

[bighevs]

Hi, I have an order for a new MX with my deposit paid cost @£91000. Placed the order back in November 2020 for their quoted March 2021 delivery. I just received a text from Tesla which reads like the car is going to now cost me £10000 more. Guess this is due to refresh. This means that the purchase cost has now gone beyond what I want to pay.

Question: Can Tesla increase the price when I have an order?

 

[TheEVadvisor]

Yes they can just refund back tour order. I believe you get 2k off the new price as a good will.

 

[pgkevet]

The question really is when are you likely to actually get a car? If they've stopped building the current X then you're looking at 2022 for an X and the model they're offering you isn't the same as the one you put a deposit down for. If no longer in production its a 'sorry can't supply do you wish to put money down on the new different car and wait 18mths or more'

 

[goRt]

Hi, I have an order for a new MX with my deposit paid cost @£91000. Placed the order back in November 2020 for their quoted March 2021 delivery. I just received a text from Tesla which reads like the car is going to now cost me £10000 more. Guess this is due to refresh. This means that the purchase cost has now gone beyond what I want to pay.

Question: Can Tesla increase the price when I have an order?

What does the contract state?
When the model 3 came out you got the price reductions as they came but not the increases (long waits, lots of fluctuations)

 

[tonyj01]

@bighevs I had this happen to me years ago, an inflationary rise was made by the manufacturer, not a new improved model, we had a signed contract, but they insisted, I walked, and bought a different [better] car.

However, the car Tesla will eventually deliver will be a better newer model, with a higher onward residual value than the older, now devalued second hand models. Your choice.

Or hold on for deliveries by buying a pre-loved MX now with a few miles on the digital clock?


Tony

 

[GRiLLA]

That's a bummer. Tesla will be within their rights to cancel an order and refund any deposit but I can imagine how frustrating this is.

When the model 3 came out you got the price reductions as they came but not the increases (long waits, lots of fluctuations)

They were able to deliver the cars in the exact specs they were ordered. Unless I'm misremembering the price for FSD went up at the end of May, then they swapped the price of black and white and dropped overall prices. Nearly everyone got repriced at the new pricebook as it was lower, I was one of a few Black LR with FSD that was slightly cheaper on the May prices so after notifying Tesla got put back to that pricing. At one point they stopped offering the LR and brought in the P-, that was not a free upgrade for me, they just assured me I could still get the spec I ordered or pay the new price for the P-.

Its funny how a couple of years on that rollercoaster of an ordering experience sounds like a tall story, certainly stood me in good stead to just accept the Tesla way for everything.

 

[Peteski]

Historically Tesla have always honoured the price at time of order if prices have increased, but applied any price reductions. But I doubt this will apply to such a big change in spec.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

Tesla tried this strong arm tactic when they introduced their own autopilot hardware, some just refused and pretty much got EAP anyway although the upgrade cost to FSD was larger if you were so inclined. But the car is a year away, a lot can happen in that time. I'd cancel and do something else like buy a used one for a lot less. If you're buying via a company you still can and the only thing you miss out on is the 100% FYA but as this get unwound when you sell and you only offset depreciation at the end of the day its of marginal benefit to most and offset by the lower initial purchase price. Also if you were buying through a company then you're missing out on a years low benefit of kind. If you were looking to finance it then the rates won't be binding until much nearer the time so you may end up paying more or less on the interest rate.

For me, forget new MS and MX orders until Nov and see how the world looks then. Get yourself an i-pace while you wait if you want a brand new EV and the used option doesn't appeal.

 

[UrbanSplash]

For that money I would be looking at the Porsche anyway

 

[seadog]

For that money I would be looking at the Porsche anyway

Porsche is great, but it's a very different car if you need the space or versatility of a X.

 

[DenkiJidousha]

Historically Tesla have always honoured the price at time of order if prices have increased, but applied any price reductions. But I doubt this will apply to such a big change in spec.

Once upon a time maybe, but when there have been major changes I wouldn't count on it - and the S/X refresh is a very big change.

Telsa bumped the price of my delayed Model 3 order by £500, saying I was getting the Dec 2020 revision with the heatpump etc. I paid it.

 

[Peteski]

Once upon a time maybe, but when there have been major changes I wouldn't count on it - and the S/X refresh is a very big change.

Telsa bumped the price of my delayed Model 3 order by £500, saying I was getting the Dec 2020 revision with the heatpump etc. I paid it.

Did you not read my second sentence? I am agreeing with you entirely.

 

[DenkiJidousha]

Yeah, I could have phrased that better. Main point of the post was a concrete example - the final line.

 

[bighevs]

Thanks for the advice and comments everyone. Tesla refer the the MX as 'all-new' which I don't agree with both the S and X look nearly identical with rendered images of new interiors. It is a refresh or update and tat's all. When I ordered the MX there was no mention of an update coming along and costing my another £8000. I did have me heart set on a MX, used cars are out there but I like new cars and especially with modern card a long warranty. The other cars I test drove last year and likes were the i-Pace and E-Tron, but thought the MX was superior on efficiency, battery technology and space. I think I'll see what they have to say to placate me when they call back. I could update the order and wait for the new X and get a different EV or keep the ICE car. I don't feel that after reading other messages on this forum that Tesla have much regard for keeping their customer happy.

 

[Durzel]

Taking that text at face value, if you don't choose to update your order it would presumably proceed as planned and you would get the car you had originally ordered, at the original price, at the originally stated time?

It reads to me like an offer to update your order to the new version (and have to wait ~12 months for it), for £2000 off, but that there is no penalty for not accepting that offer.

The question I guess becomes:

• if you don't agree to update your order, does the existing order carry on as planned?
  
  
• if you get your car in March, will you lose £8k overnight from owning the "older version" once the newer version starts landing? I would say yes, but at the same time it is not cut and dried as depreciation is heavily front loaded anyway, plus you have X months of waiting / using and/or paying for a replacement car while you wait, and that has a cost/value.

If they were delivering cars within a shorter timeframe I'd say it would make sense to pay the extra £8k and get the refreshed car, but they're quoting 2022 for deliveries and we're still in January - so that's a damn long time to wait.

 

[Peteski]

Thanks for the advice and comments everyone. Tesla refer the the MX as 'all-new' which I don't agree with both the S and X look nearly identical with rendered images of new interiors. It is a refresh or update and tat's all. When I ordered the MX there was no mention of an update coming along and costing my another £8000. I did have me heart set on a MX, used cars are out there but I like new cars and especially with modern card a long warranty. The other cars I test drove last year and likes were the i-Pace and E-Tron, but thought the MX was superior on efficiency, battery technology and space. I think I'll see what they have to say to placate me when they call back. I could update the order and wait for the new X and get a different EV or keep the ICE car. I don't feel that after reading other messages on this forum that Tesla have much regard for keeping their customer happy.



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I think you have been unlucky here. But I think it’s asking a bit too much to give you what is clearly a major refresh at the same price. They are at least offering a discount on the newer car.

We have owned a MX for 3 years now and been very happy with it. It’s a great car with loads of interior space - way more than an i-Pace, which is really more like a M3/Y in size. Maybe the Audi e-tron is closer in size but I wouldn’t swap our X for one!

 

[DrJFoster]

I think you have been unlucky here. But I think it’s asking a bit too much to give you what is clearly a major refresh at the same price. They are at least offering a discount on the newer car.

We have owned a MX for 3 years now and been very happy with it. It’s a great car with loads of interior space - way more than an i-Pace, which is really more like a M3/Y in size. Maybe the Audi e-tron is closer in size but I wouldn’t swap our X for one!

Unlucky is when there is more than an evens chance of a different outcome but circumstances transpire against you like say the last 10 cars which included the OPs were on a boat that sank in the Atlantic. Tesla stopped production before Christmas, knew full well they were coming out with an update, but still let the OP place an order knowing there was probably no chance of fulfilment. . Thats not "unlucky" by my definition.

OP.. Tesla treat you like this while trying to spend £100k - imagine what they'd be like once they have the full payment; You'll probably hear nothing for 10 months, then you're hear that they're shipping and others are getting cars with identical spec to yours and you've not been contacted (this happened with the Model 3), and then you'll get a message saying "Tuesday next week, please deposit £100k in our bank account or we'll assign your car to someone else" (something they also did with the Model 3). Then when you get it, any fault will be within tolerance and if they do concede it needs looking at, will take the car off you and keep it for 4 weeks.

Look up Gangzoom - it took him 3 years to get his Model X fault free, now he daren't sell it.

 

[Peteski]

Unlucky is when there is more than an evens chance of a different outcome but circumstances transpire against you like say the last 10 cars which included the OPs were on a boat that sank in the Atlantic. Tesla stopped production before Christmas, knew full well they were coming out with an update, but still let the OP place an order knowing there was probably no chance of fulfilment. . Thats not "unlucky" by my definition.

OP.. Tesla treat you like this while trying to spend £100k - imagine what they'd be like once they have the full payment; You'll probably hear nothing for 10 months, then you're hear that they're shipping and others are getting cars with identical spec to yours and you've not been contacted (this happened with the Model 3), and then you'll get a message saying "Tuesday next week, please deposit £100k in our bank account or we'll assign your car to someone else" (something they also did with the Model 3). Then when you get it, any fault will be within tolerance and if they do concede it needs looking at, will take the car off you and keep it for 4 weeks.

Look up Gangzoom - it took him 3 years to get his Model X fault free, now he daren't sell it.

But have they actually said that they cannot supply a current spec car to order?

 

[DrJFoster]

But have they actually said that they cannot supply a current spec car to order?

Why would you not fulfil an order with existing inventory and think it better to offer a year wait for a new model? Tesla are driven by sales per quarter, the new car wouldn't even make this financial year.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

New Inventory is showing just one 2021 MX left, a black on black performance model with an 11k discount. Thats probably the only option for a new car this year. Maybe a deal can be done on that although its well North of £91k?