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Model S Premium Center Console - Only in Black

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A: Regrettably, we cannot comment on future products.

A: The rear console was developed with all the lessons learned from the front console miss-steps. We have established new processes and taken steps to make sure similar problems do not happen again.

The quotes above seems like a hint that we'll see a new design for the front console very shortly. I even wonder if they're clearing inventory on the piano black of the existing design before offering up the new one. That may well be why they're showing them as "sold out" rather than allowing us onto a waiting list. It sounds like there was a specific wear problem. Perhaps the flexing of the lid caused the finishes to separate over time?

I'm also in the camp where I think we're going to see an all-new interior by the end of the year, and possibly a minor refresh of some of the external cosmetics. The interior was kept simple for cost reasons as much as design aesthetics. Now, with 3 years behind them and a bit of a track record, I think they'll soon be doing something more sophisticated that will address the major gripes that people point to when comparing to Mercedes & Audi - storage, rear cup-holders, a few more physical buttons, etc.
 
I'm also in the camp where I think we're going to see an all-new interior by the end of the year, and possibly a minor refresh of some of the external cosmetics. The interior was kept simple for cost reasons as much as design aesthetics. Now, with 3 years behind them and a bit of a track record, I think they'll soon be doing something more sophisticated that will address the major gripes that people point to when comparing to Mercedes & Audi - storage, rear cup-holders, a few more physical buttons, etc.

This. I predict that after the X is out that we'll see many of the new design features migrate to the Model S. And it would make sense to do so near the end of the year or beginning of 2016.
 
The quotes above seems like a hint that we'll see a new design for the front console very shortly. I even wonder if they're clearing inventory on the piano black of the existing design before offering up the new one. That may well be why they're showing them as "sold out" rather than allowing us onto a waiting list. It sounds like there was a specific wear problem. Perhaps the flexing of the lid caused the finishes to separate over time?

I wondered about this, but after waiting so long, couldn't gamble, since I live so far from a service center. I will be having my six-month delayed Next Generation seats installed in late June, so thought it made sense to order the piano black, mismatched-to-my-interior console now, so it could be installed then, and not require an additional 400-plus mile round trip via car-carrier for installation.


Something like this sounds likely. It's important to point out the decor piece on the rear console is fixed around the cupholders, and not on a moving piece as it is in the front console design.

If Tesla is just clearing inventory on these because they have one coming out soon that functions better, this is, in my mind, even worse. That would mean that they are knowingly tricking those of us who have been waiting into purchasing an inferior product, instead of just eating the cost on the inferior product. I understand that Tesla never announces new products before they are released, as it would prevent sales of the older ones, and that makes sense with respect to the cars, and any product that was built to their standards. But if Tesla identifies a product that has problems, to the point where they are redesigning that product, to then trick customers into purchasing the problematic product is just plain wrong.

This is magnified by the fact that many, like me, may be choosing to accept a product with a finish we don't even want!

If there are no design problems with the console in the piano black finish, and that one actually functions just fine, why not sell-out the piano black console to customers who actually WANT a piano black console? If the concern is that no one will buy the old model when the new model comes out, the old model could be discounted a bit.

I realize there are a lot of "ifs" in the above, and that Tesla may not be doing any of this. On the other hand...
 
I'm also in the camp where I think we're going to see an all-new interior by the end of the year, and possibly a minor refresh of some of the external cosmetics. The interior was kept simple for cost reasons as much as design aesthetics. Now, with 3 years behind them and a bit of a track record, I think they'll soon be doing something more sophisticated that will address the major gripes that people point to when comparing to Mercedes & Audi - storage, rear cup-holders, a few more physical buttons, etc.

This. I predict that after the X is out that we'll see many of the new design features migrate to the Model S. And it would make sense to do so near the end of the year or beginning of 2016.

I think you may be right, but it doesn't change my opinion of how Tesla handled this situation. I didn't even get an email like these folks did (I assume it's not a hoax, since many folks seem to have gotten it). 3, 4 years ago, I might have remained optimistic that Tesla meant no harm and is going to do right... but that rosy view went out the window after many disappointments like these.

Perhaps whatever is on the horizon will be retrofittable (or we'll have the X and won't care). Either way, sounds dramatic, but at this pace the X (if we go through with it) is likely to be our last Tesla.
 
I think you may be right, but it doesn't change my opinion of how Tesla handled this situation. I didn't even get an email like these folks did (I assume it's not a hoax, since many folks seem to have gotten it). 3, 4 years ago, I might have remained optimistic that Tesla meant no harm and is going to do right... but that rosy view went out the window after many disappointments like these.

Perhaps whatever is on the horizon will be retrofittable (or we'll have the X and won't care). Either way, sounds dramatic, but at this pace the X (if we go through with it) is likely to be our last Tesla.

It's not a hoax. I got the same email.

I'm always cautious about assigning malicious intent, where there remains the possibility of simple error or confusion. I'm guessing that they've been internally p'd off at themselves for having made a design error and are exceedingly frustrated and embarrassed at having screwed up something so simple. But, things happen. It's taken so long to get to this point because the process of redesign, tooling mods, prototype production, and durability testing takes a lot of time. And the longer it takes, the more pressure there it to make it work and so there's more reluctance to throw in the towel. And around we go. I'm an engineer, so I know how these things happen!

What you're seeing in the email is a bit of genuine humanity, I think. Tesla is a tiny company by auto standards and you're seeing a fairly unpolished response from a bunch of frustrated and embarrassed people. I suspect that EM would have been involved in the decision to throw in the towel on this and that there are a lot of people not feeling happy today.

In a situation like this you're never going to make the customers happy. I think they're walking a reasonable line.

a) Send out an email that, distilled down, says:
- "We can't produce what we promised. We're p'd at ourselves and we're embarrassed and sorry."
- "This is what we can produce. You're welcome to buy it. We've got a bunch, but we don't know if we're making more."

b) Since this email just came out, you know that they just threw in the towel in the last day or two. They're probably all sitting in front of a whiteboard saying something like: "Okay... we completely f'd that up. Do we abandon the whole thing or come up with something different?"

c) In the background they're probably looking at their new interior design and wondering at what point they stop trying to retrofit the old one, and what can be done to accelerate the new design into production.

I'll guarantee that nothing here is malicious. This is a bunch of overworked humans who screwed up and are dealing with it the best that they can, without a whole army of lawyers and PR consultants filtering their words. I find it kinda refreshing honestly. And while I'd like a center console, I still love the car without it!

My 2 cents.
 
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It's not a hoax. I got the same email.

I'm always cautious about assigning malicious intent, where there remains the possibility of simple error or confusion. I'm guessing that they've been internally p'd off at themselves for having made a design error and are exceedingly frustrated and embarrassed at having screwed up something so simple. But, things happen. It's taken so long to get to this point because the process of redesign, tooling mods, prototype production, and durability testing takes a lot of time. And the longer it takes, the more pressure there it to make it work and so there's more reluctance to throw in the towel. And around we go. I'm an engineer, so I know how these things happen!

What you're seeing in the email is a bit of genuine humanity, I think. Tesla is a tiny company by auto standards and you're seeing a fairly unpolished response from a bunch of frustrated and embarrassed people. I suspect that EM would have been involved in the decision to throw in the towel on this and that there are a lot of people not feeling happy today.

In a situation like this you're never going to make the customers happy. I think they're walking a reasonable line.

a) Send out an email that, distilled down, says:
- "We can't produce what we promised. We're p'd at ourselves and we're embarrassed and sorry."
- "This is what we can produce. You're welcome to buy it. We've got a bunch, but we don't know if we're making more."

b) Since this email just came out, you know that they just threw in the towel in the last day or two. They're probably all sitting in front of a whiteboard saying something like: "Okay... we completely f'd that up. Do we abandon the whole thing or come up with something different?"

c) In the background they're probably looking at their new interior design and wondering at what point they stop trying to retrofit the old one, and what can be done to accelerate the new design into production.

I'll guarantee that nothing here is malicious. This is a bunch of overworked humans who screwed up and are dealing with it the best that they can, without a whole army of lawyers and PR consultants filtering their words. I find it kinda refreshing honestly. And while I'd like a center console, I still love the car without it!

My 2 cents.

And what about their treatment of customers who have been patiently waiting for 18 months? No offer of a discount, no offer of prioritizing their Piano Black console shipments, no offer to reserve a spot for them in line, nothing. If Elon Musk was involved in this decision, he needs to have his head examined.
 
And what about their treatment of customers who have been patiently waiting for 18 months? No offer of a discount, no offer of prioritizing their Piano Black console shipments, no offer to reserve a spot for them in line, nothing. If Elon Musk was involved in this decision, he needs to have his head examined.

This is the real issue here, I think, and the customer relations failure. You set expectations and can't deliver. Okay, sometimes that happens. But offer something to those who were patiently (or even not so patiently) waiting for the product. It really should be a discount that could be applied to any TM product.

EDIT: Wow, I agreed with AmpedRealtor :)
 
I'm sorry but something just doesn't jibe here. I emailed Tesla on 5-15 about my order and this is the response I received:

Thank you for contacting Tesla Motors. We apologize for the delay in getting back to you. We hope to be able to provide you with a Carbon Fiber console shortly, however, they have not yet been released. While we still do not have a firm release date, our best guess would be that we will contact you towards the end of this month. You are approximately 45 on the list of customers waiting for the Carbon Fiber console.

If there is anything else we may assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 
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And what about their treatment of customers who have been patiently waiting for 18 months? No offer of a discount, no offer of prioritizing their Piano Black console shipments, no offer to reserve a spot for them in line, nothing. If Elon Musk was involved in this decision, he needs to have his head examined.

I've been on this forum for about 9 months now. One thing that Tesla gets accused of repeatedly, with some legitimacy, is over-promising and under-delivering. That's a product of a whole lot of genuine enthusiasm and intent to do well, and sometimes failure to achieve what they'd hoped to - for any number of reasons. The fix for this is to promise less, of course. But people don't always like that either. What should Tesla have done? They probably should have announced the PB console on the day that it was available and not promised other finishes at all. And so we would be in the same position as we are now but not complaining.

Personally, I'm happy enough with the odd miss. They've delivered on most of the big things; sometimes a bit late and sometimes with a bit of chaos and confusion. But I'll forgive that in a company as small and wildly innovative as Tesla is.

And.... Tesla doesn't have infinite money either. Providing free stuff or discount stuff every time there's a slip is a sure route to failure. And that surely doesn't serve us well.

I'm not trying to be an apologist for the company here; they're not perfect for sure. I'm just trying to add a bit of perspective. It's just a bloody console after all.
 
I'm sorry but something just doesn't jibe here. I email Tesla on 5-15 about my order and this is the response I received:

Thank you for contacting Tesla Motors. We apologize for the delay in getting back to you. We hope to be able to provide you with a Carbon Fiber console shortly, however, they have not yet been released. While we still do not have a firm release date, our best guess would be that we will contact you towards the end of this month. You are approximately 45 on the list of customers waiting for the Carbon Fiber console.

If there is anything else we may assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact us.

I received almost exactly the same email on 5/13. I also did NOT receive the cancellation email. I'm secretly hoping a console will magically appear in CF with my name on it, but probably unlikely.

I'm struck by this particular Q&A in Tesla's email:

Q: Will Tesla make available a newly designed Center Console in the near future?
A: Regrettably, we cannot comment on future products.

Why even bother asking a question if you are going to say "no comment"? Tesla could have just said "There are no plans currently", or didn't have to ask the question at all. But instead, they chose to say they cannot comment on future products. This tells me something... again, maybe I'm still in denial, but I have a feeling they are redesigning the console and will re-release it in the future. But they can't say that because they wanted to sell off stock of their Piano Black consoles, which they did in short order. I'm probably reading too much into this.
 
And what about their treatment of customers who have been patiently waiting for 18 months? No offer of a discount, no offer of prioritizing their Piano Black console shipments, no offer to reserve a spot for them in line, nothing. If Elon Musk was involved in this decision, he needs to have his head examined.
I think sandpiper's explanation is right on track. At the same time, I agree with you on this completely. You can't simply have people on the waiting list for 18 months and just cancel them, and tell them to get in the back of the line. Nothing about this has been good, but this is probably the most uncool thing they could have done. Also, they did make a promise to deliver this, and clearly state that they are offering absolutely nothing for their mistake, which to many of us, has a significant adverse impact. That is also completely uncool.

In the meantime, I too am one of those that have NOT received this email, so I fired off an inquiry to Tesla. No response yet. Here's to hoping that they made a few of these consoles and can get some out.
 
I've been on this forum for about 9 months now. One thing that Tesla gets accused of repeatedly, with some legitimacy, is over-promising and under-delivering. That's a product of a whole lot of genuine enthusiasm and intent to do well, and sometimes failure to achieve what they'd hoped to - for any number of reasons. The fix for this is to promise less, of course. But people don't always like that either. What should Tesla have done? They probably should have announced the PB console on the day that it was available and not promised other finishes at all. And so we would be in the same position as we are now but not complaining.

Personally, I'm happy enough with the odd miss. They've delivered on most of the big things; sometimes a bit late and sometimes with a bit of chaos and confusion. But I'll forgive that in a company as small and wildly innovative as Tesla is.

And.... Tesla doesn't have infinite money either. Providing free stuff or discount stuff every time there's a slip is a sure route to failure. And that surely doesn't serve us well.

I'm not trying to be an apologist for the company here; they're not perfect for sure. I'm just trying to add a bit of perspective. It's just a bloody console after all.

Totally understand. My disappointment is underscored by an 18 month wait. I feel strung along and then discarded. That feels crappy.

In my particular case, they charged my credit card up front for the $800. I made a big stink 60 days into my order to get a refund. Charging me up front for a product that they would never ship makes this even worse.
 
Q: Will Tesla make available a newly designed Center Console in the near future?
A: Regrettably, we cannot comment on future products.

Why even bother asking a question if you are going to say "no comment"? Tesla could have just said "There are no plans currently", or didn't have to ask the question at all. But instead, they chose to say they cannot comment on future products. This tells me something... again, maybe I'm still in denial, but I have a feeling they are redesigning the console and will re-release it in the future. But they can't say that because they wanted to sell off stock of their Piano Black consoles, which they did in short order. I'm probably reading too much into this.

Which exactly illustrates my point above. Rather, I'm thinking this: They know they're going to get blasted with "You promised and didn't deliver!". So, building good things is difficult and errors are made sometimes. If you never want to over-promise, promise much less.

It may well be that they do have plans. And it may well be that they don't yet know if they have plans. You're probably talking about only a few people who are still bleeding out of the ears over this. Were I to guess, I think they'll redesign it. But I doubt they'll make the same mistake and make a bunch of promises.

- - - Updated - - -

Totally understand. My disappointment is underscored by an 18 month wait. I feel strung along and then discarded. That feels crappy.

In my particular case, they charged my credit card up front for the $800. I made a big stink 60 days into my order to get a refund. Charging me up front for a product that they would never ship makes this even worse.

I'm 100% sure that they did not expect that this was going to happen either. They were probably as surprised as anybody when there were durability problems... and more surprised when it was difficult to fix. When it's a choice between cockup and conspiracy I'll go with cockup every time.
 
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Comments like this make me think I know why most Germans still prefer to buy their premium segment cars from German manufacturers. We have a different definition of overall quality.

Exactly. One might complain a lot about Audi, Merc, BMW, VW etc., but at least I have never experienced something like that center console fiasco with them.
Andyw2100 put it quite well in his email. How can Tesla be able to produce a superb EV but not a rectangular piece of plastic in a certain finish? Incomprehensible.

My experience with German cars has been much worse than simply not getting a console in the precise trim color I wanted. Case in point, my mom's Mercedes CLS 55AMG. Developed a strong smell of gas outside the vehicle. She took it to her mechanic who, after some significant work, found it was a leaking gas tank that was actually covered under (yet another) recall on the car. When she took it to the Mercedes dealer (after spending several 100$'s) and asked why she was not contacted on the recall they just said "well if you got your service done with us you would have known"! Now, 3 weeks later, she is still driving a loaner as they have not yet gotten the part from Germany... Given this experience (and other similar ones with MB), she is thinking more and more about a Tesla.
 
Totally understand. My disappointment is underscored by an 18 month wait. I feel strung along and then discarded. That feels crappy.

In my particular case, they charged my credit card up front for the $800. I made a big stink 60 days into my order to get a refund. Charging me up front for a product that they would never ship makes this even worse.


I too am disappointed in this. My console timeline is:

June 2012 - Opportunity Console concept introduced & shown.[*]
15Oct2013 - Placed order.
28Feb2014 - Completed online order & paid Tesla via Credit Card ($800).

They've had a long time to do this & they've failed both from production & communication.

If this was a one-off I'd be more tolerant, but Tesla has a track record of broken promises. I've updated my list:
  1. Pano roof sun–shade
  2. Vanity Mirrors w/ Lights
  3. On-board music storage
  4. Center Console – Carbon Fiber

All -

I'm approx. 350 on the console waiting list (Obeche Matte) and didn't receive the email. If they were truly discontinuing all orders wouldn't they have email people in the order they were placed?

Aaron

I haven't received and email from Tesla either. They're probably using the firmware update randomization algorithm for delivering these. :)
 
My experience with German cars has been much worse than simply not getting a console in the precise trim color I wanted. Case in point, my mom's Mercedes CLS 55AMG. Developed a strong smell of gas outside the vehicle. She took it to her mechanic who, after some significant work, found it was a leaking gas tank that was actually covered under (yet another) recall on the car. When she took it to the Mercedes dealer (after spending several 100$'s) and asked why she was not contacted on the recall they just said "well if you got your service done with us you would have known"! Now, 3 weeks later, she is still driving a loaner as they have not yet gotten the part from Germany... Given this experience (and other similar ones with MB), she is thinking more and more about a Tesla.

Uhuh. And years ago I had and Audi A4. That thing was in the shop, literally, at least once a month for electrical problems. It was wonderful to drive but was absolutely the most unreliable vehicle that I've ever had, including the beater motorcycles that I drove as a teenager.

The dealer did nothing more than shrug and do yet another warranty repair. I got rid of it the day that the warranty expired.
 
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b) Since this email just came out, you know that they just threw in the towel in the last day or two.

If they threw in the towel in the last day or two, how do you explain the trim levels other than piano black disappearing from the online store at least two weeks ago:

(I made the following post at 12:00 AM eastern time on May 7. Bold just added.)

And I just checked the store and for the first time could not find the finish options other than Piano Black shown anywhere. In the past, the other options were listed. (The video for the Piano Black console still shows the Obeche console.) Anyone think the removal of the other finish options from the store is an ominous sign? Or do you think this is just Tesla's way of reducing demand for parts that are in short supply?