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Go to a Tesla Store - Something Big is Happening
- Thread starter Cattledog
- Start date
All - I agree that Tesla, while well meaning, has been weak on consistent communication of whatever message they are trying to convey - test drive policy being case-in-point. I would have thought a weekly conference call, or company e-mail, or post to an intranet would have gotten more people on the same page. I don't work in a large comnpany so I don't know how this is handled in businesses with multiple offices and thousands of employees, but Tesla should come up witn a better way to convey their messages.
Doug Martoccia
Member
Thanks for pointing out that some locations may still be requiring test drives. The variation of experiences is more than I would have expected. The demand must be extremely high.
ZBB
Emperor
Looks like Tesla is doing test drives Apr 26-28 at the Scottsdale gallery. May be invitation only though...
islandbayy
Active Member
I had a test drive in Skoke, Il, end of Feb, Did not have a reservation. I was asked if I had a reservation though. I said no, I would not reserve without test driving a vehicle first.
CapitalistOppressor
Active Member
I don't care to search back through the threads, because the test drive issue has already been declared off topic. But it was determined months ago that test drive availability was based on store, and date. Essentially it was all demand based, and when demand exceeds supply (which is fairly often) test drives are limited to reservation holders. That said, determined customers (such as myself) have always been able to secure test drives at impacted stores, through simple persistence.
Back to the actual topic, I am very hopeful that Cattledog is on to something. The Model S is perhaps on the cusp of being declared a hit product in the mainstream media, and once it is it might turn into the luxury automotive version of the cabbage patch doll. A must have accessory for the upper middle class, many of whom content themselves with much less expensive vehicles (because face it, the 7 Series is just boring), but who can easily afford a Model S.
As to the stores, my guiding assumption since last summer is that the stores would be driving sales going forward, and that Tesla should be targeting ~2 cars per store per day to be successful. If the store network is averaging 2 cars per store day that is outstanding news, especially considering the rapid pace with which Tesla is opening them and their impending move into the international market.
Back to the actual topic, I am very hopeful that Cattledog is on to something. The Model S is perhaps on the cusp of being declared a hit product in the mainstream media, and once it is it might turn into the luxury automotive version of the cabbage patch doll. A must have accessory for the upper middle class, many of whom content themselves with much less expensive vehicles (because face it, the 7 Series is just boring), but who can easily afford a Model S.
As to the stores, my guiding assumption since last summer is that the stores would be driving sales going forward, and that Tesla should be targeting ~2 cars per store per day to be successful. If the store network is averaging 2 cars per store day that is outstanding news, especially considering the rapid pace with which Tesla is opening them and their impending move into the international market.
Cattledog, I hope and think you are right in general, momentum really going.
At the same time, I think we'll see lower reservations Q1 than Q4 last year, and then numbers will grow in following quarters. I was in the store in Long Island (NY) two weeks ago. Spent plenty of time with an on the ball young Tesla rep (45 minute test drive
), who suggested sales are about half pace of Nov/Dec when "things were crazy." While this is just word of mouth of one person at one store, it matches up pretty well with what we were seeing earlier in the year while there was still new data flowing to update the reservation thread here on TMC, and the fact that there was a price increase and surge in reservations end of December pulling what would have been Q1 orders into 2012.I'm not meaning to burst bubbles... just sharing how I am managing my own expectations. I suspect first quarter's new reservations were down 25-50% from prior quarter, but thereafter back on upswing (notwithstanding gibberish we are likely to read from Corey Johnson and Mark Petersons of the world).
SteveG3 - I get your logic but hope you're wrong. Reservations popped after mid-November's MTCOY announcement, and then went nuclear 12/31 due to price increase. That said, I hope the cumulative effect of having cars on the road and the growing awareness in Europe have grown the reservation in the 2nd half of the quarter to where, overall, the quarters might be similar. We'll see (if they share numbers)
Doug Martoccia
Member
In the US, Tesla currently has 25 stores and 24 service centers - an increase of five service centers in the past week or two. The website also indicates three additional future stores and ten additional service centers. Sales have been strongest in states with a Tesla footprint, although it is not clear if this is more a cause or an effect. (certainly a bit of both)
Of states with a population above 4 million, Tesla has not announced plans to open either a store or service center in Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana and Kentucky. I'm sure it would be possible to determine how many Americans are within 50 miles of a Tesla location as well.
Certain large cities are notably absent from the Tesla domain, including: Charlotte, Charleston, Tucson, Sacramento, Memphis, Jacksonville, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Richmond, Indianapolis, Nashville and Salt Lake City. If Tesla needed to drive additional sales, stores in some of these locations would help with that. Based on sales by state, I think Tucson, Charlotte and Richmond will be a priority.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
We must hang in different circles. I've only heard positives, zero talk about the nasty reputation problems. Just different experiences, I suppose.
Doug Marto - San Antonio is the largest city in the US w/o a Tesla store. Not proud of it, just hopin...
ModelS1079
Member
Doug Martoccia
Member
Very good point Cattledog. I didn't know that. San Antonio is a great place for a revolutionary car!
Al Sherman
It's about THIS car.
No. Nothing sounding similar here at all. Really. I've never felt that way about Apple. Not sure what you mean by "early hotshot success" either. Apple's been around for a relatively long time.
As far as TM; Have you dealt with a Service Center yet? I am literally stunned by the level of service I got during my recent 12 volt issue. It almost felt surreal that an automaker could care this much for me and my already purchased car. Maybe we just really see the world differently?
The Service Center folks behaved excellently. Unfortunately, even THEY were complaining about the behavior of headquarters, which was changing things without notifying them. There's something seriously wrong in communications at HQ.
Was in the Santana Row store on Sunday, 7/14. Wow! In the 30 minutes we were in there, hundreds of people came in. Literally. It's one of the new stores with probably 4 times the square footage of the other stores I've been in, really cool. Lots of momentum, folks. Goldman Sachs should get out from behind their million dollar cubicles and do a little reserach that can't be done in Excel. That goes for you too, you guys on the top secret GM Tesla SEAL team.
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