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Speculation on what Tesla is still hiding

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McHoffa

McHoffa

CyberOwners
Sep 29, 2015
1,122
1,268
Canton, NC
#1
We have over 200 Model 3s in the wild now. One is a family member of an employee who decided he wouldn't share anything more about the car to make sure his son didn't lose his job.

This is a car in production, not a concept car.

So why is Tesla being so hush still and asking employees to not show anything? Why do we still have limited pictures and information on the website, and the official video still isn't showing anything from the interior?

I understand the anti sell, but not the secrecy on a production car.

It just makes no sense. Presumably some regular people will have the car next month so we'll know more soon, but...
 
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#2
McHoffa said:
We have over 200 Model 3s in the wild now. One is a family member of an employee who decided he wouldn't share anything more about the car to make sure his son didn't lose his job.

This is a car in production, not a concept car.

So why is Tesla being so hush still and asking employees to not show anything? Why do we still have limited pictures and information on the website, and the official video still isn't showing anything from the interior?

I understand the anti sell, but not the secrecy on a production car.

It just makes no sense. Presumably some regular people will have the car next month so we'll know more soon, but...
Click to expand...
They will likely change some things in non-employee cars. In fact, that should be expected given the whole idea behind employee cars is to allow them to make such changes based on feedback from them.
 
#6
I would think the reason is very simple:

Model 3 is the next-generation Tesla platform in many, many ways - and thus supercedes current Model S/X in those ways. Talking about it would Osborne Model S/X sales before they can ugprade those models to match.

Some things we already know:

- Model 3 has an interior-facing camera (AFAIK not seen even in the recent slight update in Model S/X AP)
- Model 3 has a new Intel-based big screen computer (coming to Model S/X later in an interior facelift?)
- Model 3 has many interior comforts (e.g. pockets etc.) not found in Model S
- Model 3 has the new 2170 battery

Did I forget something? And who knows what else? I think we could also speculate a bit on the doors, as Model 3 has semi-automatic doors and I wonder if that could be a prelude to more automation being enabled down the road through software. Maybe, maybe not.

Anyway, not talking so as to not Osborne Model S/X sales is IMO the reason. And yes, I agree it is quite silly...
 
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#7
McHoffa said:
That's what I'm talking about. They've got the car and won't talk about it for fear of the son losing his job? Makes no sense for a production car.
Click to expand...
Maybe it's just me. I am a French American.. I don't know anything about manufacturing like most Americans as we don't manufacture much anymore here.

I work in software cloud services. To me, we just don't call something that is being internally tested "production". "Production" implies that actual customers are using it, not a senior VP of engineering, not the founder.

To me, the car being still in testing phase, I find normal that the company prevents employees from leaking information on it. It's just the way it would be just anywhere else.
 
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#8
xav- said:
Maybe it's just me. I am a French American.. I don't know anything about manufacturing like most Americans as we don't manufacture much anymore here.

I work in software cloud services. To me, we just don't call something that is being internally tested "production". "Production" implies that actual customers are using it, not a senior VP of engineering, not the founder.

To me, the car being still in testing phase, I find normal that the company prevents employees from leaking information on it. It's just the way it would be just anywhere else.
Click to expand...

While there is nothing wrong with what Tesla does as long as the employees were told of the terms beforehand (and I am sure they were), the difference here is the employees are paying for the product with their own money, the product has been launched publicly and apparently are even allowed to order for family.

So keeping it under wraps is not comparable to many other scenarios. It is a big unique in that regard. And obviously the reason is simple IMO, my speculation anyway: Tesla wanted to show stock market the progress of starting to deliver Model 3, while at the same time keeping Model 3 as secret as possible so as to not slow down and/or Osborne Model S/X sales because there is now a cheaper, newer model (with next-gen things in AP, battery and computers at least) in town...

Tesla is dancing a tricky dance and that's why it looks weird.
 
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#9
Yes got to show date progress since they are famous for being late. They want to be cooler than other car makers by skipping steps but really they are doing similar validation, just making employees buy the cars. They should have a real M3 handover party once "regular people" get their cars, perhaps on Dec 31 ;)
 
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#12
Garlan Garner said:
I can't believe this thread is surviving without a TON of dislikes for the anti-Tesla type statements.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what you're referring to, I've only read a couple of things in this thread that were even mildly negative towards Tesla. The OP is asking a question about an observed fact and there is a lot of speculation in the subsequent posts.
 
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#14
The car is "in production" in that they are building cars. The car is clearly not ready for prime time as evidenced by screenshots showing things like image of model S instead of model 3 on charging screen.

From my own experience with this stuff, I know when I'm smelling a beta and that's what we have here. This car is beta, even if it's "in production". This is not about the Model 3 being so incredible that it's going to gut sales of the Model S/X.

Doesn't mean that the 3 won't end up being a fantastic car, but Tesla is potentially behind on the software piece... possibly by months.
 
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#15
xav- said:
Maybe it's just me. I am a French American.. I don't know anything about manufacturing like most Americans as we don't manufacture much anymore here.

I work in software cloud services. To me, we just don't call something that is being internally tested "production". "Production" implies that actual customers are using it, not a senior VP of engineering, not the founder.

To me, the car being still in testing phase, I find normal that the company prevents employees from leaking information on it. It's just the way it would be just anywhere else.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with this, not unusual at all for a software company and Elon has said as much that Tesla is not operating the same way as traditional car companies. He even said that's why they don't have model years and just upgrade things as they go.
Elon Musk: Model S not a car but a 'sophisticated computer on wheels'
 
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#17
voip-ninja said:
The car is "in production" in that they are building cars. The car is clearly not ready for prime time as evidenced by screenshots showing things like image of model S instead of model 3 on charging screen.

From my own experience with this stuff, I know when I'm smelling a beta and that's what we have here. This car is beta, even if it's "in production". This is not about the Model 3 being so incredible that it's going to gut sales of the Model S/X.

Doesn't mean that the 3 won't end up being a fantastic car, but Tesla is potentially behind on the software piece... possibly by months.
Click to expand...

Winner winner chicken dinner. Can't believe there is not a rating for winner winner chicken dinner. But on topic: Voip Ninja has it nailed. It is a production beta, Tesla made it on time, but is fine tuning. What's more to say, it was the best answer to multiple needs and was so savvy and is being executed brilliantly. More car companies should do the same, faster to market and better bug fixes along the way.

Just part of a decade long headstart that Tesla has over everyone else, keeps getting longer. No other car company is executing on a vision. They are all tactically trying to optimize sales. Tesla is going to flip a switch in a few years and enable ride sharing on a million cars, an entire self driving car fleet. So in that context and knowing that is the goal...what's a few months of silence that builds demand for consumers financing tesla's self driving car fleet. Amazing savvy.
 
#18
Lol you guys have no faith. It's all about the anti-sell while they ramp up production.

That Calanis guy already said he's under NDA, but his enthusiasm for the car was gushing out, so he had only to say that it's a game changer.

We have press test drives that say it's an amazing car, and they don't mention any "beta" aspects of the car or software.
 
#19
I read somewhere that Tesla IS beta-testing the UI on the Model 3 with the employees that have the car now. That would explain things like the Model S showing up on the charging screen and the overall "unfinished" look to the UI screens.

I'm sure that they'll nail down a "production-release" version of the UI to go out on non-employee cars next month.
 
#20
ModelNforNerd said:
I read somewhere that Tesla IS beta-testing the UI on the Model 3 with the employees that have the car now. That would explain things like the Model S showing up on the charging screen and the overall "unfinished" look to the UI screens.

I'm sure that they'll nail down a "production-release" version of the UI to go out on non-employee cars next month.
Click to expand...
Beta testing? I thought beta testing was over.

Wait a minute. What state is the Model 3 really in right now? I hear beta testing....I hear Elon talking about making 1500 this month.

Where is the Model 3 in its life? Is it born yet?
 
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