Reactions to Model X reveal event

[MilosK]

From VentureBeat: http://venturebeat.com/2015/09/30/elon-musks-tesla-model-x-launch-was-a-marketing-and-pr-disaster/

' Could have been so much better'

from the article: 'For example, if you’re an airline, don’t sell “we don’t crash and you won’t die.”'

What?? Guarantee me that with reasonable comfort and that's the only airline I'll fly!

And for the record for people who keep repeating that the event started two hours late as does the article, it did NOT. It was never supposed to start at 7, but 8, so it was 50 minutes late - still not great but way less than 2 hours.

 

[Freudianly]

Right; which is also why Elon emphasized the 0-60 speed and the Ludicrous option.

Long after he emphasized the soccer moms' favorite features.

Men, well, bros specifically, were clearly only a secondary target audience of the presentation.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

If one is to accept that Tesla is a relatively young and small company (as constantly pointed out in this thread) then one must not underestimate what the established old giants are capable of.

Except in this analogy, Apple would be the relatively small and young company and the established giants would be Blackberry/RIM. Apple didn't really become the 900 lb gorilla we see today until it hit it big with the iPod and then the iPhone. Tesla is Apple in your scenario, taking on established giants like Blackberry/RIM and disrupting their "establishment".

 

[4SUPER9]

Love Tesla and my Model S. Not impressed with the launch event or the model X for that matter.

1. Starting on time matters. Starting that late is unprofessional.
2. Elon's not a public speaker and should not have been the main presenter
3. The car is ugly
4. the falcon doors are an overly complex, overthought affectation. As they showed how little space the rear doors take to allow access, the car was still undrivable because the front doors are conventional and couldn't be opened in their demonstration. That is a fail.
5. auto opening and closing front doors is a gimmick and will prove to be a PITA. They were even a PITA at the launch when the opened inappropriately in the middle of the presentation.
6. the falcon doors and auto opening front doors together will probably double the number of service visits the car will need over it's lifetime for fixes and troubleshooting. My prediction. I could hear the collective groan of every Tesla service center manager during the presentation.

Ah, don't be so negative.

1) Meh. Actually, your forum name is funny on this one; when has a doctor ever seen a patient on time?
2) People love hearing from Elon, though he should try to avoid the stutter
3) No it's not.
4) The falcon wing doors look like a slam dunk to me. The functionality appears to be near perfection so far. Only concern I have is long term durability.
5) This one I'll give you, though at least people won't be able to complain about the auto-present door handles since it doesn't have any.
6) Probably only from folks who want automatic features but then complain when those automatic features don't do exactly what they want. I see this as a case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

1. I'm a physician and almost always run on time, unless a patient needs me, then time is not important. The eye surgeon I visit is also prompt, though the last few I went to did make me wait ridiculous amounts of time, but this is why I don't see them anymore. Meetings should always be prompt. Yes, the presentation should have run on time. But, who really cares? I'll give them a pass on this one.
2. Elon is awesome! He was also not the best speaker on at least some of the topics. He could have passed the mic to others, i.e.: the engineer of the falcon doors, etc. That would at least allow someone else the spotlight, which is also a respectful thing to do.
3. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For me, I would buy this immediately if I had the funds. It is a work of art. I could use the extra seats and love that second row.
4. Falcon doors = really, really cool. Need I say more? No, really, I get that there may be some practicality or maintenance issues, but I think the design is very future forward, and whether it succeeds or not can provide an important lesson to the automotive industry as a whole.
5. I agree. I fail to see the point except in ridiculously hot weather when the handles are too hot to touch. I wonder if the auto-door opening can be user configurable to be turned off? Probably.
6. See #4

 

[AmpedRealtor]

I agree, and the absence of any mention of these things makes last night's event not a true product "launch" at all, IMO. Not a whole lot more than another prototype reveal really, except that 5 people got to be driven off the stage in cars that supposedly had been delivered to them. I can't help but feel that last night's show was in some ways just an effort to gloss over what may in fact be yet more delay before the car actually goes into production for real purchasers.

^^ this. The "launch" was a formality because Musk promised deliveries by the end of September. It's pretty clear the car is not at all finished. In fact, images on Tesla's site show stereoscopic cameras in the windshield yet people at the event said the delivered cars did not have stereoscopic cameras. We may still see some big changes before the actual production of Signature models.

 

[X-Wing]

Apologists and worshippers of Elon Musk can post their Kool-Aid opinions all they want. Doesn't change the fact that he was 50 minutes late, gave an uncomfortable presentation to a group of people who had been standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the CA heat for more than 3 hours, hadn't been fed sufficiently, and only elicited sustained enthusiastic cacophonous applause a few times. Anyone watching this would think Tesla fanboys have nothing on Apple fanboys when it comes to conventions and product reveals, that's for sure!

If Tesla wants to grow beyond a start-up, Elon needs to expand his circle of disciples from thousands to hundreds of thousands (and eventually millions). You don't do that by looking awkward and unprepared on a national stage while announcing your biggest new product in half a decade. While all of us who know and respect Elon know what to expect and don't mind his quirks, it's the NEW and POTENTIAL customers who are desperately looking for a reason to get excited about not only the car but the company. Seeing a disorganized reveal party and clumsy keynote speaker is not a way to engender such fervor.

The product is great, but the producer needs to rise to the same level to succeed in the long term.

This. Very very very well said.

 

[ohmman]

Except in this analogy, Apple would be the relatively small and young company and the established giants would be Blackberry/RIM. Apple didn't really become the 900 lb gorilla we see today until it hit it big with the iPod and then the iPhone. Tesla is Apple in your scenario, taking on established giants like Blackberry/RIM and disrupting their "establishment".

I believe this is a relevant video. iPod keynote from 2001. They were being disruptive. The presentation was also extremely professional, if comical by today's standard. Audience is tiny! Still, it's an example of one of the facets of Apple's success along the way. Everything's additive.

 

[ModelX]

I was at the event. It was obviously poorly organized and late. I didn't enjoy that, seemed less organized than the D event. Loved that Elon spoke. I was pleased with the topics and his presentation of them. Would have liked MORE Info!:smile: LOVED the product! I liked the look much more than expected! Test ride was great, but short and a long wait. I was in the second row and windows rolled down normally and seat belt did not cut into this short person neck. Anxiously awaiting my chance to configure and purchase!

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Apologists and worshippers of Elon Musk can post their Kool-Aid opinions all they want. Doesn't change the fact that he was 50 minutes late, gave an uncomfortable presentation to a group of people who had been standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the CA heat for more than 3 hours, hadn't been fed sufficiently, and only elicited sustained enthusiastic cacophonous applause a few times. Anyone watching this would think Tesla fanboys have nothing on Apple fanboys when it comes to conventions and product reveals, that's for sure!

I watched it on my iPad last night and I did not experience any of this. Sorry for your experience, but the vast majority of people who follow Tesla and their products weren't physically there - they watched it online like I did.

If Tesla wants to grow beyond a start-up, Elon needs to expand his circle of disciples from thousands to hundreds of thousands (and eventually millions). You don't do that by looking awkward and unprepared on a national stage while announcing your biggest new product in half a decade. While all of us who know and respect Elon know what to expect and don't mind his quirks, it's the NEW and POTENTIAL customers who are desperately looking for a reason to get excited about not only the car but the company. Seeing a disorganized reveal party and clumsy keynote speaker is not a way to engender such fervor.

The product is great, but the producer needs to rise to the same level to succeed in the long term.

Have you ever seen any launch by Tesla? Elon is the same in all of them. I'm not sure if your expectations for Elon's presentation style match with the reality of the individual. He's awkward and he stumbles. That's just how he is. I agree that the event could have had more polish, but as a stockholder I'd rather Tesla not blow a lot of money when it is already being lambasted every quarter for its "cash burn". Tesla is in a damned if you do, damned if you don't position.

- - - Updated - - -

How many of you are women?

It's a fair question, isn't it? The Model X target audience is largely female, clearly, given how the 2nd row is designed and how much emphasis Musk put on safety. How many of those criticizing the Model X today are actually women?

 

[Blastphemy]

A better presentation would have been:

Stephen Colbert drives out in a cleverly disguised fake Model X, whips the crowd up into a frenzy, and then one of the falcon wing doors falls off. Elon Musk walks out to cheers, says "I can fix that!" and picks up the styrofoam door and sticks it back onto the fake Model X with velcro. Then he says, "perhaps you'd like to see a real Model X, Stephen?" Turns to the crown and shouts enthusiastically, "You wanna see the REAL Model X?!?" To cacophonous cheers, the white Model X rolls out. The driver gets out, the front passenger gets out, the falcon wing doors open, and then 15 people from Cirque du Soleil, some dogs, and a monkey get out in a hilarious never-ending stream.

Now that everyone's having a good time, things turn serious. Elon introduces the Model X towing the AirStream with the family and luggage getting out like we saw. "And that's no joke, folks. It's the real thing! It can hold seven people, plus luggage, plus tow up to 5,000 pounds, and doesn't emit one molecule of hazardous exhaust!"

Then he asks, "Would you like to know a little bit more about this SUV?" Cheers erupt. "Great! Let me bring on [charismatic person #1] to give you some great information about some exciting features, and then I'll be back shortly to give you a cool demonstration.

[charismatic person #1] walks on the stage and talks about the range, the acceleration, the windshield, the interior appointments, the available options, and how it compares in size to ICE SUVs.

The Elon comes back out and gives the falcon wing door presentation, including the "parked too close on either side" demo. Except this time the driver exits the vehicle through the Falcon Wing Door opening to show it's possible.

Then Elon introduces [charismatic person #2, this time a woman] to come out and talk about safety features, child seats, Auto Pilot (or adaptive cruise), heated and cooled seats, and the air filtration system.

Elon comes out at the end and expands upon the filtration system, announcing the Biohazard (not "Bioweapon!") Defense Mode button, and that it's a real thing.

Then he asks for the VIN 6-2 cars to drive out together, and in one fell swoop - to sustained applause - hands over the keys to each person quickly and efficiently, and they all get in their cars and get driven off.

Then just as everyone thinks it's ending, Elon asks for his VIN 1 car to come out and says, "There's one more thing..." to thunderous cheers.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be that razzle dazzle "one more thing" last night, so one can only imagine what that could have been (electrochromic windows? 360-degree cameras for parking, dash cam, and night vision? etc.) I guess at this point he could discuss price ($5,000 more than the Model S) rather than tweeting out that info hours later and hoping the press disseminates it...

The "launch" was a formality because Musk promised deliveries by the end of September. It's pretty clear the car is not at all finished. In fact, images on Tesla's site show stereoscopic cameras in the windshield yet people at the event said the delivered cars did not have stereoscopic cameras. We may still see some big changes before the actual production of Signature models.

I totally agree with that.

 

[MarkS22]

In fact, images on Tesla's site show stereoscopic cameras in the windshield yet people at the event said the delivered cars did not have stereoscopic cameras. We may still see some big changes before the actual production of Signature models.

Can you show us the clear stereoscopic cameras in the windshield? I only saw speculation on a couple blurry pixels in one photo of a white X. You say "images" so I'd love to see all the sources.

 

[SeminoleFSU]

The service centers are going to HATE those doors. It is simply too hard to engineer something so complicated and get it right on the first production release.

Tesla, please make me eat those words

Agree 100%. I also expect the motorized seats to have problems if the 3rd row is used a lot.

 

[TEG]

Some thoughts:

* From inside, the panoramic view out of the wrap around windshield / moonroof is awesome.
* Getting in and out of the 2nd row with the Falcon doors seems like a big improvement over conventional doors, *but* - it doesn't help with the driver's seat and front passenger.
* The Falcon doors seem flimsy in a way, but I bet they are still strong. It is just a lot of weight on the hinges so they wobble and shake a bit which may unsettle some. Sort of like how big airplane wings look flexible in flight but you wish they looked more rigid.
* The seats themselves also feel a little flimsy, but I think they are still strong. It is perhaps part of the compact / weight saving design with a lot of flexible plastic. It may take a little getting used to them if you are used to more rigid components of older luxury vehicles.
* From a brief exposure, it seems like the audio system sounds really good.
* In the X I rode in, the rear AC was noticeably loud. We asked the driver to turn off rear AC to confirm that the sound went away, then the vehicle was very quiet.
* They showed off Ludicrous mode acceleration from 30-60mph. Probably a good range to demonstrate. It clearly could do many passing maneuvers with extreme authority.
* The "running lights" (around the headlights) were rather bright. Almost to the point of being annoyingly bright. Particularly from the side. Possibly adds safety making the vehicle easy to be seen, and easier for the driver to see obstacles, and road signs on the side of the road, particularly when getting ready to turn.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Can you show us the clear stereoscopic cameras in the windshield? I only saw speculation on a couple blurry pixels in one photo of a white X. You say "images" so I'd love to see all the sources.

From Tesla's web site:

Also note the absence of any obviously visible front-facing radar, although there are two small flat shapes in the black portion underneath the white bumper area to the left and right, perhaps one or both of those are new radar modules that are much better integrated?

 

[Julian Cox]

They presented a car that is a class above the competition from any major auto maker. There is no amount of money that can buy an SUV with better occupant safety, acceleration and road holding because such a thing does not exist.

You can cheap out and get a Ranger Rover or you can pay more get a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S - it makes no difference, you get reduced performance and occupant safety compared with the X either way.

Cayenne was the mainstay of Porsche. Model X crushes it on price and performance across the entire range from $80 - $142K even before accounting for incentives and running costs.

 

[RichardL]

As we were walking back to the car to leave we walked along the outside fence of the ride event area - what was interesting was that even with three MXs driving nearby, the loudest noise was from the little rotors of the drone overhead!

Gotta love EVs :tongue:

 

[Zaxxon]

Enough with the women comments, folks. Believe it or not, fathers also want their family to be safe and to have features that make family-hauling more convenient. Sheesh.

 

[MarkS22]

From Tesla's web site:


Also note the absence of any obviously visible front-facing radar, although there are two small flat shapes in the black portion underneath the white bumper area to the left and right, perhaps one or both of those are new radar modules that are much better integrated?

Thanks. Yeah, I saw this one. Isn't that the rear view mirror attached to the windshield? If not, where is the rear view, then? I'd think the radar is behind that black "grill" at the bottom.

 

[Ugliest1]

Elon is clearly brilliant and I believe that the Model X will be an incredible vehicle. I also believe in his vision and mission. I have voted with my wallet - I'm a stockholder, I own a Model S and I anted up to reserve a Model X. Many of us have. Elon doesn't make the magic alone - it is a partnership which includes Tesla shareholders, customers and supporters. In my opinion the handling of the event showed arrogance and Tesla's partners were treated poorly. How many people attended or watched the event? How many man hours or man years of combined time were wasted by the 55 minute delay? Would some apology, explanation or expression of gratitude been appropriate?

I think you've missed the most important partners of all -- Tesla workers. Shareholders (disclosure: I'm one) put some money down expecting profit -- whoopee. Customers put money down expecting a product -- whoopee, they get a fantastic world-changing (albeit expensive!) product. Supporters type words on a screen -- whoopee. IMO these are all like the proverbial breakfast chicken -- they're "involved" by giving some eggs of varying value. Tesla workers however put their sweat, effort, worries, and living under daily pressure to get the job done, right. They're like the breakfast pig - not involved, but "committed".

Man-years wasted? It was a party. People didn't have to go. There were plenty of predictions that it would start late. They wasted their own time willingly. Honestly, I see no arrogance. I see a company on a mission in a world of enemies, making the odd misstep and doing the best they can inventing the future.

Maybe this is just me and I need to get over myself. Please give me a reality check!

Don't know that this has been a reality check. More an opinion check (mine). You can measure the differences. Peace!

 

[omarsultan]

Have you ever seen any launch by Tesla? Elon is the same in all of them. I'm not sure if your expectations for Elon's presentation style match with the reality of the individual. He's awkward and he stumbles. That's just how he is. I agree that the event could have had more polish, but as a stockholder I'd rather Tesla not blow a lot of money when it is already being lambasted every quarter for its "cash burn". Tesla is in a damned if you do, damned if you don't position.

^^^ That