CNBC Model X a design flaw?

[travwill]

What do you guys think about this CNBC article, dissing the falcon wing doors because of all the indirect issues they cause? E.g. no luggage possible, issues with water, with snow/ice, etc?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102806414

Hopefully such a beautiful car/SUV does well as we need to see Tesla survive into the years ahead; e.g. not run out of cash by next Spring...

 

[bonnie]

What do you guys think about this CNBC article, dissing the falcon wing doors because of all the indirect issues they cause? E.g. no luggage possible, issues with water, with snow/ice, etc?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102806414

Hopefully such a beautiful car/SUV does well as we need to see Tesla survive into the years ahead; e.g. not run out of cash by next Spring...

An analyst with no real information, just going for clicks by putting 'Tesla' is the headline. Not the first time. The stock price says the market just *might* be in disagreement with his *analysis*.

 

[satheesh.net]

I think somebody sold their TSLA's a little too early and now takes it out on something else...

Anyways, the article is quite negative if you ask me. The TMX isn't only made for "soccer moms" who don't know where to put their skiing gear and world class bikes.

TMX will appeal to a lot of people with different needs. Writing it completely "off" seems a bit harsh.

 

[mknox]

I remain skeptical of the falcon wing doors when it comes to the snow we have here in the Great White North, but in reality, using a small trailer to tow the type of cargo you might put on roof racks is actually more energy efficient since you aren't messing up the aerodynamics as much.

 

[mattmass]

 

[deonb]

I don't understand...

Did CNBC manage to get hold of a new Model X, or are they only reporting now on a 2-year old prototype?

 

[gavine]

How many people carry surf boards and kayaks on their vehicle? I'm sure there are some, but not enough to make the Model X unsuccessful. And, there's a ton of storage between the two trunks. They are acting like there's no storage in the back, but from the prototypes that I have seen, the rear storage is cavernous. Much larger than a typical 3-row SUV.

 

[tinm]

I remain skeptical of the falcon wing doors when it comes to the snow we have here in the Great White North, but in reality, using a small trailer to tow the type of cargo you might put on roof racks is actually more energy efficient since you aren't messing up the aerodynamics as much.

If new Tesla drivers exhibit difficulty with the simple task of backing their car in to a Supercharger parking space, what's going to happen when they have to drive around with a trailer attached to their Model X?

I surely hope Tesla has a better explanation of how people are supposed to go on a trip carrying all their recreational stuff somewhere other than the roof because of those Falcon doors.

As the Tesla brand becomes more mainstream, it's not enough to rely on superior design like Apple. If a hundred million people make mistakes or are forced to do things awkwardly all day long while using their iOS devices, the world doesn't know about it. If a *hundred* people make mistakes all day long in their Model S or X, the world starts hearing about it.

 

[Merrill]

What does a portfolio manager know about the technical aspects of a vehicle, some of his concerns are real as far as Tesla the company but this is not a normal SUV. It remains to be seen how you will carry large items and the falcon doors inhibit some of that. But calling it a flop before any production vehicle have been seen is premature.

 

[Krugerrand]

If new Tesla drivers exhibit difficulty with the simple task of backing their car in to a Supercharger parking space, what's going to happen when they have to drive around with a trailer attached to their Model X?

New drive-ed classes, where people learn to actually drive (and with a trailer attached to their vehicle)? :tongue:

Related: there's been a lot of talk in the past and present about the 'average' car buyer/owner and how (basically) they won't do this, won't do that, etc... therefore Tesla must be the one to change how they do things. Meh. Already a good number of people have changed (how it relates to Roadster and Model S) and more are added each day. I still hold onto a bit of faith in mankind to be able to learn and change. Sure, there will always be the holdouts, those unwilling, those not capable...eventually they die. I've never understood the appeal of climbing up to put something on the roof of my vehicle and I've lost count the number of times I've seen roof rack items strewn about the roads. In the end, either the Model X will be successful and people will learn to put items inside the vehicle, or pull trailers, or the Model X will be successful despite not being able to put items on the roof, or Model X will fail because of it or some other reason. But rather than predicting doom (don't understand why people feel a need to be negative like that either) before it and people are given the chance, let's just watch it play out.

 

[tinm]

Just basing my comments on actual experiences of new owners I've met in past 6-12 months. Often meet 'em at Superchargers, where they back in to a front-in charge spot, or vice versa, then don't know how to plug in, etc. After conversing for a while, it's clear they don't know much about the car at all, including regen. Kind of scary if this scales by 10x or more. Points to an education problem: if the rate of technological innovation outpaces the rate of a growing percentage of buyers' ability to learn and understand the technology, the outcomes can be, shall we say, sub-optimal. This is my main concern over autopilot. But, I digress.

 

[Merrill]

Just basing my comments on actual experiences of new owners I've met in past 6-12 months. Often meet 'em at Superchargers, where they back in to a front-in charge spot, or vice versa, then don't know how to plug in, etc. After conversing for a while, it's clear they don't know much about the car at all, including regen. Kind of scary if this scales by 10x or more. Points to an education problem: if the rate of technological innovation outpaces the rate of a growing percentage of buyers' ability to learn and understand the technology, the outcomes can be, shall we say, sub-optimal. This is my main concern over autopilot. But, I digress.

This is something that goes on in this world with everything, lots of clueless people out there. It seems like these people do not care about anyone but themselves and there will always be these types of idiots out there.

 

[sub]

It has nothing to do with the fact that these dumb people are driving an EV or a Tesla, you must not pay attention to most of the drivers around you on a daily basis.

 

[mknox]

If new Tesla drivers exhibit difficulty with the simple task of backing their car in to a Supercharger parking space, what's going to happen when they have to drive around with a trailer attached to their Model X?

Good point, but I'm thinking it's probably a small minority who will need to do this anyway... and that small minority should probably already be familiar with trailer towing. (I think trailer towing is supposed to be one of the capabilities of the Model X).

 

[vandacca]

Reversing with a trailer will be trivial with the Model-X and Auto-Pilot. There is no reason why that parking task couldn't be automated either on reveal date or soon afterwards with an over-the-air update.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

If new Tesla drivers exhibit difficulty with the simple task of backing their car in to a Supercharger parking space, what's going to happen when they have to drive around with a trailer attached to their Model X?

I surely hope Tesla has a better explanation of how people are supposed to go on a trip carrying all their recreational stuff somewhere other than the roof because of those Falcon doors.

As the Tesla brand becomes more mainstream, it's not enough to rely on superior design like Apple. If a hundred million people make mistakes or are forced to do things awkwardly all day long while using their iOS devices, the world doesn't know about it. If a *hundred* people make mistakes all day long in their Model S or X, the world starts hearing about it.

The Y won't have any fancy stuff like falcon doors, so it won't be an issue for the "mainstream".

 

[mackgoo]

How many people carry surf boards and kayaks on their vehicle? I'm sure there are some, but not enough to make the Model X unsuccessful. And, there's a ton of storage between the two trunks. They are acting like there's no storage in the back, but from the prototypes that I have seen, the rear storage is cavernous. Much larger than a typical 3-row SUV.

Real surfers rarely have the boards on the roof. It's right there with them in the passengers seat.

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This is something that goes on in this world with everything, lots of clueless people out there. It seems like these people do not care about anyone but themselves and there will always be the types out there.

Where do THESE (two) people come from?

 

[vandacca]

Real surfers rarely have the boards on the roof. It's right there with them in the passengers seat.

And if you were to draw a Venn diagram of "Soccer Moms" and "Surfers", the overlap would probably be extremely small (no offense to surfing soccer moms).

 

[jerry33]

The Model X will have towing capacity so that means a hitch mounted rack will be a no-brainer. Putting items on the roof of a car or SUV is a bad idea to begin with. Raises both aerodynamic resistance and increases the chances of a rollover. It also increases the chances of either hitting what's on the roof where there is low clearance or having it come off on the road (I've had vehicles in front of me spill their poorly tied down items many times.)

 

[Cosmacelf]

Good Lord. That article has so many inaccuracies, it boggles the mind. Just off the top of my head:

- The vast majority of SUVs do not, in fact, have storage bins on their roof. The Model X will have more interior storage than an SUV of the same size (just like the Model S).
- Telsa does not need to sell 15,000 Model X to make their 55,000 year sales figure, the latest quarterly sales number prove that. 5K to 10K is more like it.
- They have more than 28,000 reservations, not 20,000 as the article states. Over 1,000 of those orders, people paid $40,000 for (signatures), not just $5,000. At launch, Model S barely had 8,000 reservations, and we all know that worked out great.

Just yet another content free (actually content incorrect) click bait article...

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The Model X will have towing capacity so that means a hitch mounted rack will be a no-brainer. Putting items on the roof of a car or SUV is a bad idea to begin with. Raises both aerodynamic resistance and increases the chances of a rollover. It also increases the chances of either hitting what's on the roof where there is low clearance or having it come off on the road (I've had vehicles in front of me spill their poorly tied down items many times.)

Hey, I resemble that remark! Way back when I remember driving a bit too fast on the freeway with my roof mounted ski rack (and skis). One cross wind gust later it detached and when sailing onto the road. Luckily this was in Canada and the freeway was essentially empty (compared to US roads), so it didn't hit anyone, landed upright, and in fact, we were able to stop, back up to it, and reattach it before anyone else came by. Ah, the things 20 year olds do...

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I don't understand...

Did CNBC manage to get hold of a new Model X, or are they only reporting now on a 2-year old prototype?

No, they are clueless. Speculating based on a 2 year old prototype. Almost journalistic malpractice right there. They want to start a conversation about ... something we don't know anything about? Really?