There would be a Tesla. It would just be a division of Google. While that change would be crappy for shareholders, I don't see the downside for Tesla drivers.
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There would be a Tesla. It would just be a division of Google. While that change would be crappy for shareholders, I don't see the downside for Tesla drivers.
There won't be any Tesla drivers in this scenario. Google is going for cars without drivers.
roblab
Active Member
YES! I like to think that a chunk of my $100K car is prepayment of gas, oil, belts, plugs, catalytic converters, mechanic labor, filters, etc., etc. My car is a $50K to $60K car that has fuel and maintenance and service already paid for or not needed at all.
When you think about it, all this about fit and finish is the same old line about beauty being only skin deep. What really really matters is the drive train, the power source, the new and better ways to do business. All these people who want to talk about fit and finish seem to be stuck back in the 1950s, unable to change.
ttupper92618
Member
If Google bought Tesla - which I think is extremely unlikely - it would be unlikely to exert that kind of pressure on Elon. Further, Google's completely autonomous cars are not going to see wide-spread use for at least a decade, no matter what the autonomy zealots think. It is utterly unrealistic to expect such, and it is unrealistic that a Google owned Tesla would suddenly change course and not deliver on existing and future products.
I find the sky is falling mentality about a slow model 3 rollout amusing frankly. I fail to see any logical basis in the expectation that this would kill Tesla. In point of fact, Tesla has never released a single vehicle on time or at the predicted volumes in the history of the company. And through that all, people have predicted the company's imminent demise. But just this week, on the back of lower than expected shipments, widely reported quality problems, a recall, quarterly losses, and a projected model 3 schedule virtually nobody thinks Tesla can achieve... The company successfully raised $2 billion in fresh capital in just two days, and the stock price went up.
Explain how that aligns with the thesis "Tesla is doomed if it can't deliver Model 3 in volume by date X".
Tesla has a vast reservoir of good will. It is huge - much larger than I think anyone can fully explain or appreciate. In the end the reason doesn't matter anyway, only the fact. It will take a lot more than delivering the model 3 late or in lower than desired volumes to evaporate that gigantic reserve.
I aimed my comment to be more in the direction of exaggerated joke, since I need to say that out loud, I clearly failed in expressing my thoughts
That being said, I'm skeptical if Google buying Tesla would be a good thing for the drivers. But I agree that I don't see that happening.Not commenting on the rest of your post since I'm not really bothering that much about worrying about the rollout schedule. Not a part of the doomsdayers camp in any case. Slow rollout just means I can save for the car longer
alseTrick
Active Member
Definitely not 1 month apart.
50,000 Model 3's/month would equate to 600,000 over the course of a year. That's not even including S and X models. It's impossible at a factory said to max out at 500,000 vehicles/year.
I think even saying they could be 2 months apart is highly unlikely/overly optimistic. By late 2018 I think it's possible Tesla may be able to produce 25,000/month, but that there's almost no chance of that happening in late 2017/early 2018.
I also don't believe Tesla hits 500,000 in 2018 like they're saying. I do hope they at least hit 300,000 though. Otherwise they're going to have a problem, and so will we.
Sorry, I'd have a hard time convincing myself to ignore panel gaps and mis-applied weather stripping, carpeting becoming unglued on ANY car at any price point, especially one delivered by a manufacturers employee at an SC. It has nothing to do with being unable to change.
Frankly the expectations of the Model 3 market are going to be much more rigorous, simply because there are more competitive examples of cars in the same price point (or less) whose fit and finish are excellent, ICE or otherwise. And...there will be far less early adopters.
I really, really want to like this car. I'm buying for technology, style, and performance. I'm a gadget guy...it's a really expensive gadget. Carbon footprint...don't care.
EM isn't marketing it based on having to compromise quality. I'm sure the fantastic drivetrain that you feel blessed to have is great, assuming it, and other expensive bits are not in constant need of replacement at the SC.
alseTrick
Active Member
Just mass deliver 400k Model 3 all at once? Yes, please.
"You get a rebate. You get a rebate. You get a rebate."
JeffK
Well-Known Member
haha not all 400k but definitely batches of several thousand, whatever those warehouses will hold besides excess parts and supplies.
Reps from Tesla have said the Model 3 production goal for 2018 is 400,000 so at full production rate 50k cars in two months is certainly possible. However, I think this is a ramp up so who knows what the timeframe is going to be until full production rate.
Not commenting on the rest of your post since I'm not really bothering that much about worrying about the rollout schedule. Not a part of the doomsdayers camp in any case. Slow rollout just means I can save for the car longer
Coming across as a "doomsdayer" was not my intent. I am an optimist by nature and extremely optimistic about Tesla.
Here is my thinking. As I understand it, Tesla expects to have the design nailed down in ~5 weeks and Elon thinks the 115,000 orders received before the reveal will be filled before the end of 2017. it would be very pessimistic to think Tesla will fall a full year behind schedule with the design intended for ease of manufacture given that. I think it would take a perfect storm, not normal issues.
If that were to happen, it would eat through an awful lot of goodwill with investors, customers and suppliers and it would be bad for employee morale. It would also burn through a ton of cash. That would be tough for Tesla to survive.
... and Tesla has been the driving force behind the BEV development the last ~10 years. So no, Tesla is not "just a particular implementation". If Tesla fails a lot of people - even people at the top of other car manufactures - will say "See? BEV's are doomed, no need to go down that road!". So Tesla's success is more important then if VW have a success with e-Golf or GM with the Bolt. But I hope they all will be successes.
What is new in this "news"?
The plant was expected to "open" in Mach - postponed to July, and is already in production (but not battery cells yet). Battery cells has a long time been announced to start production late 2016 (I'm not sure if November was mentioned, but I believe it was).
ModelNforNerd
Active Member
This....
Yea, I know...crazy right? Someone who wants a Tesla whose prime motivation isn't the environment?
But before everyone gets too upset about it...think.... @182RG and I are exactly the type that EM is trying to win over.
I'm pretty happy with my re-tuned 4-cyl ICE that puts out ~300HP and gets 34mpg highway.
But the Model 3 is more high tech. It's more stylish. and it's faster. So, I want one.
winning over the not-primarily-green types are exactly what Tesla needs to do to expand market share.
(hmmm, maybe it's an Audi thing?)
I agree completely that this is the market Tesla is winning over. Although I care about the environment, I wouldn't buy a car based primarily on this reason. I want performance, tech, convenience of "filling up" at home, lower overall operating cost, safety. Environmental reasons are a nice second-tier bonus.
When I've talked to people about Tesla and the Model 3, there are those who instantly compared it to a Prius as a "green car" (uninformed) and those who are excited because of the "iPad screen," performance, and autopilot.
This is the much larger market Tesla will attract and sell their vehicles to, not people who just care about the environment or want to save on gas, and will ultimately convince the masses to buy EV instead of ICE.
Another Audi owner with a Model 3 reservation here. The Model 3 is the only EV on the horizon that I would consider (the Model S being too expensive).
I would echo your arguments -- the folks that are eating Kale and are dining by candlelight to save the world have already bought a Leaf or Prius. Those cars look boxy and utilitarian because they're marketed toward people who don't care how cars look.
The Model 3 is the first truly desirable, mass market EV -- as 373K reservations prove. I also expect, when it arrives, it'll be the coolest, fastest, most technologically advanced car in its class (by far), which is the perfect storm to bring EVs to the masses. In my opinion, it's the most important car since the Model T, and proof that Tesla (and specifically Musk) are brilliant beyond normal measures.
EVNow
Well-Known Member
Tesla is the opposite. They care a lot about climate change and not so much about panel gaps.
Someone like Audi who think it is fine to cheat on emissions as long as the gaps are great is the right brand for you.
alseTrick
Active Member
It's silly to say Tesla doesn't care about the quality of its manufacturing as long as the car is electric. And it's silly for any customer to say "I don't care that the quality of the car isn't as good as the quality of other similarly priced vehicles." Uh, no. That's not how these things work. Tesla NEEDS to be able to do both. It's not an option; it's mandatory.
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