Now That Tesla is a real car company with two products it's time for other manufactures to stop ignoring them in marketing claims. When you see these post them here. Lets start with this one. http://www.hyundaiusa.com/about-hyundai/news/Corporate_50_MPG-20100804.aspx
Ghosn said it best: "Every day they don't start is a good day for Tesla". Well, okay he said Nissan, but the point is clear. As long as the other manufacturers don't recognize Tesla as competition, they won't be actively working on any similar products.
Agreed, sneak attack! But I'd bet that we'll see more of this. I'm guessing here, but couldn't TM make the below claims? 0. 100% of all vehicles designed and built in USA 1. Most fuel efficient car company in USA 2. Highest % of parts designed and manufactured in USA 3. Lowest carbon footprint factory in USA
Tesla cars aren't all that American made either. Just think of all those Panasonic cells, Mercedes parts, etc. in fact it is questionable as to whether it will qualify as "made in USA" for the purposes of impoting into Canada (50% content under NAFTA rules).
Was this disclaimer on the site last time? "America's most fuel-efficient car company claim based on fleetwide model year 2010 manufacturer data from the EPA Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975-2011 Report. 2012 Accent 30 City/40 Hwy. 2012 Elantra 29 City/40 Hwy. 2011 Sonata Hybrid 35 City/40 Hwy. 2012 Veloster M/T 28 City/40 Hwy. EPA Estimates. Actual mileage may vary.." Green Electric Cars | Eco-Friendly Vehicles| Hyundai
Hyundai's claim sounds more impressive than the other way of saying it: "We sell more cars with tiny engines than any other major manufacturer!"
Is that by part count or by weight? The entire body and drivetrain are made in USA. I suspect the interior as well (seats, etc.) but not the controls since they are MB.
I'm not totally sure about the duty laws, but I think it may have to do with % of cost. So the batteries may tip the scale, although labor is all US so that may help balance it. I know this is the case for a "product of Canada" label - I recently saw sliced pineapples in the store with the "Product of Canada" label (with a disclaimer sticker that said, "made from imported ingredients"). Duties on the S would really be ridiculous since so much is actually made in the USA.
I would think that the assembly of the battery pack, including all the liquid cooling, would account for a fair percentage of the battery pack's cost. It's not like the batteries are just put in and then liquid is pumped in between the cells to fill the space (I hope).
Yes, it seems the rules are base on inputs, not on percentage of the final price. Suppose you make a gadget, based on $25,000 of imported parts. You add in $15,000 worth of locally-sourced parts and labour, producing a product that sells for $100,000. Clearly the foreign content is only 25% of the selling price, but it's more than half of the total inputs used to make the product.