Elon's demand "secret weapon" ...what is it?

[yobigd20]

Nah. My bet is flying cars with real autopilot systems.

And the gigafactory is just a front for building flux capacitors.

 

[austinEV]

omg, it all makes sense now. This also explains why the supercharger map shows you can drive to Cuba...

 

[Twiddler]

Maybe you buy the car and rent the battery? Reduces initial buying price from $70k to $40k? Heh it's a stretch. Who knows.

Wow that is a brilliant idea - this deserves its own thread/discussion.

 

[aznt1217]

Actually I'm pretty dumb. I forget the secret weapons context was aimed towards auto dealers... I think the rental conversion to buy is a pretty darn good weapon. Or if anything you buy the battery and you rent the car to circumvent the car dealer part...

 

[30seconds]

Instead of a test drive they bring the car to you and let you drive it for a day. Or a weekend rental program - $100 for the weekend supercharging include.

 

[TEG]

Maybe you buy the car and rent the battery? Reduces initial buying price from $70k to $40k? Heh it's a stretch. Who knows.

Note, Nissan had toyed with that idea for the LEAF. Renault does it for their EVs.
Z.E. Battery - ZOE - Renault Cars - Renault UK
Official: Renault Says To Battery Purchase For Zoe Electric Car
Some don't like it:
The Long Tail Pipe: Renault customers cry foul over battery pack rental terms - Owning the car but renting the pack puts car makers in drivers seat?

 

[larmor]

Secret lever: Cup holders with robotic arm to refill or auto drink.

Another lever for demand: "technology & stuff"

 

[Subhuman]

So it is suppose to increase demand and it will be aimed at car dealers...I'm thinking some kind of lifetime warranty or an extremely long warrenty period. Elon has always said he wants to run service center at a zero profit. What better then buying a car that you will never have to pay to have serviced. With the simplcity of the electric drivetrain this is something other car companies could not match.

 

[jhm]

Free kittens with every Model S!

 

[austinEV]

Free kittens with every Model S!
View attachment 72013

For the people that just have to have the *purr* of a traditional engine.

 

[yobigd20]

How about half off with purchase of a solar city home solar panel installation and battery backup system? That's an offer I certainly wouldn't refuse. (Hint to Tesla: if you offer this I'll surely buy some solar panels and battery backup for a model X at half price)

 

[Twiddler]

Yes - a kitten is born for every Model S delivered. This will be a welcome change to previous standard of Dick Cheney killing one for every Hummer sold.

 

[kenliles]

Given the statement was 'for demand side generation' AND related to battling the dealer situation. I'll go with a massive worldwide dealership distribution agreement with Apple. Overnight, every Apple Store will become an authorized dealer, CarPlay included. Concurrently delivering massive distributed demand at the lowest automotive customer acquisition cost in history, and immediately establishing 'dealerships' in every state (and every country).

Maybe I'm thinking too big here, but I believe Elon has this level in mind along with multiple Tera factories and Li-Ion mixing with and giving way to SuperCapacitance. This and more is why he's trying to tell you the opportunity here is Applesque in size, reach, and value....

 

[TEG]

I'll go with a massive worldwide dealership distribution agreement with Apple...

Reminds me of this:
Steve Jobs on the Nissan Leaf iAd on Vimeo

 

[jhm]

Given the statement was 'for demand side generation' AND related to battling the dealer situation. I'll go with a massive worldwide dealership distribution agreement with Apple. Overnight, every Apple Store will become an authorized dealer, CarPlay included. Concurrently delivering massive distributed demand at the lowest automotive customer acquisition cost in history, and immediately establishing 'dealerships' in every state (and every country).

Maybe I'm thinking too big here, but I believe Elon has this level in mind along with multiple Tera factories and Li-Ion mixing with and giving way to SuperCapacitance. This and more is why he's trying to tell you the opportunity here is Applesque in size, reach, and value....

I've had similar thoughts before, though not with partnering with Apple. I was thinking about Amazon or AutoNation. In any case, the basic idea is to partner with strong online marketer, who is content to sell at fixed prices and will acquire dealership licenses in every state. Apple could certainly fit the bill.

Another possibility is that Tesla itself could become a franchized dealer of electric vehicles of other makes. This is my Electric Avenue concept. Tesla, the operator of Electric Avenues, would sell EVs from multiple automakers. As an authorized dealer, they get licenced by the state as a new car dealership. Then there is no problem selling Teslas too. More importantly, they would use their sales and service resources more efficiently and satisfy more customers who want to buy EVs. Altogether, this would accelerate the EV market.

 

[Kenji]

Given the statement was 'for demand side generation' AND related to battling the dealer situation. I'll go with a massive worldwide dealership distribution agreement with Apple. Overnight, every Apple Store will become an authorized dealer, CarPlay included. Concurrently delivering massive distributed demand at the lowest automotive customer acquisition cost in history, and immediately establishing 'dealerships' in every state (and every country).

Maybe I'm thinking too big here, but I believe Elon has this level in mind along with multiple Tera factories and Li-Ion mixing with and giving way to SuperCapacitance. This and more is why he's trying to tell you the opportunity here is Applesque in size, reach, and value....

How does having a Tesla in every Apple store become a demand booster?
Probably a better idea to invest in having a Model S sit at every mall like many other car companies.

Someone also mentioned about having Model S at car rental places?
It's not difficult to test drive a Model S right now. I can pick up the phone and schedule a time at my local showroom.

Dropping the price to boost the demand probably won't sit well with investors.

If it's a "weapon" against dealerships, the referral system sounds about right.
This makes everyone a Tesla salesman without a dealership and should result in at least a little demand boost.
This is how most modern companies became big (Uber, Lyft, Zulily, etc).

 

[jdevo2004]

Sell them at Costco or some other retail chain.

 

[RobStark]

Someone also mentioned about having Model S at car rental places?
It's not difficult to test drive a Model S right now. I can pick up the phone and schedule a time at my local showroom.

Not in Texas,Arizona, Michigan,New Jersey,Connecticut, plus severe limitations in various states.

One store in Virginia and Colorado. Five Stores in all o New York that are all around NYC.

 

[ggr]

Wow that is a crazy idea, but crazy good.

No, this was BetterPlace's idea. It's a terrible idea.

 

[Hypx]

Given the statement was 'for demand side generation' AND related to battling the dealer situation. I'll go with a massive worldwide dealership distribution agreement with Apple. Overnight, every Apple Store will become an authorized dealer, CarPlay included. Concurrently delivering massive distributed demand at the lowest automotive customer acquisition cost in history, and immediately establishing 'dealerships' in every state (and every country).

Personally, I think a deal with Google is more likely. It doesn't even have to be global either, just something to bypass the dealership franchise laws. Google becomes the "dealership" in order to meet legal requirements, but for all practical purposes Tesla controls the either sales experience.