Tesla Drops Coil Suspension for Model X

[emchen]

Got a call from corporate today that our Model X 70D (now 75D), ordered in January, with coil suspension, will be built with SAS after-all. We are going to be charged half-price like everyone who took the offer months ago, $1250 with no alternative. Rep added that there have never been and never will be any Model X's built with coil.

 

[TacC]

I thought coil suspension was dropped when the 60 and base white were dropped. Seems odd that it would take nearly a week to give you a ring.

Kudos to you for sticking to your guns on the coil suspension. I just wish you had more to show for it.

 

[MikeC]

Seems to me anyone still holding out should get SAS for free. Otherwise they're raising the price both parties agreed to.

Maybe they could give you SAS and just software limit you to just one height.

 

[outie]

Seems to me anyone still holding out should get SAS for free. Otherwise they're raising the price both parties agreed to.

Maybe they could give you SAS and just software limit you to just one height.

They are definitely capable of doing that in the software. However, I guess most people who opt for coil is to avoid high(er) maintenance cost of SAS besides the added initial option cost. With a software limited SAS it's still prone to failure and let's say if it fails after warranty how much are you supposed to pay for the repair? SAS price? That doesn't make sense.

 

[emchen]

Yeah!

*Raises fist in the air.

They should pay us for the "upgrade"! ;-)

Doesn't hurt to wish.

 

[Skotty]

Should be free.

I wonder if they are cutting some things like this in order to focus more resources on the Model 3.

 

[ecarfan]

I wonder if they are cutting some things like this in order to focus more resources on the Model 3.

Doubt it. I don't see how building the X only with air suspension has anything to do with the 3. My guess is that the percentage of X orders with coils has been very low, and it simplifies production if the X is only built with air suspension.

 

[flyhigh123]

well that sucks... i had coil and went sas... but to force you to pay more isnt right either.... they should discount the 1250 further, maybe like $500 to be fair since you are being forced into something.

 

[RobW2428]

Seems like it ought to be free for you. Sorry bout that.

 

[maratd]

Yup, same situation. Got another call from them today. Same offer. Doesn't seem like a good way to treat clients dropping 6 figures.

 

[woof]

They make a half price offer, you can refuse, and they'll refund your $5000 deposit and say have a nice day. An X with the same features I ordered back in Feb. is now $6000 more expensive. So if I want an X (I do), it's cheaper to accept their offer than start all over again. And as the coils aren't an option anymore you'd end up with an X with SAS anyway.

 

[maratd]

They make a half price offer, you can refuse, and they'll refund your $5000 deposit and say have a nice day.

Yes, of course. And nobody is saying they're not within their rights to do what they're doing.

It's just a dick move.

They lied by saying the car will be delivered while holding on to our cash. Not just once, repeatedly. Then they demanded more money if we ever want to see the car. Nice.

I would be out of business real quick if I treated my clients this way.

 

[woof]

Don't see anything evil or nefarious or even bad juju here. Just normal contract stuff. Here's the relevant section from the purchase agreement:

No Resellers; Discontinuation. Tesla and its affiliates sell cars directly to end-consumers, and we may unilaterally cancel any order that we believe has been made with a view toward resale of the Vehicle or that has otherwise been made in bad faith. We may also cancel your order and refund your deposit if we discontinue a product, feature or option after the time you place your order.

So they could just cancel them all, and make everyone re-up at higher prices. They didn't do that, and offered a reasonable discount instead. Not seeing the drama here.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

Sounds like it was a victim of not enough demand.

The SAS is more appealing in an SUV vehicle, and a lot of the pro's of coil suspension aren't as applicable on the X.

To me it was a mistake for offering it in the first place.

 

[Xminus6]

I see this as being part of the danger of dealing with a relatively new company. Tesla does not have a long history from which to draw conclusions about which options, option packages, or even colors they should offer. We've seen them tweak things in a way that seem inexplicable to us as customers, but I assume there's plenty of actuarial work in the background that justifies those decisions. Tesla, as a company, is still in reasonably existential danger. They don't really have a huge war chest of cash that allows them to sell cars with lower margins just to get marketshare. If the added cost, complexity and time of offering any specific option isn't worth it to them, then we just have to deal with it because we're buying cars from a company that is younger than most other manufacturer's supplier contracts.