Tesla mistake? - "fully loaded, newly built cars to our service loaner fleet"

[thegruf]

"We always want our customers to experience the newest versions of Model S and X while their cars are in service, so we added fully loaded, newly built cars to our service loaner fleet. We always want the service loaner Tesla to be *better* than the customer car being serviced. The customer should never suffer for something that is our fault."

The concept is laudable and praiseworthy but the reality is that Tesla are going to be regularly dumping top spec vehicles on the Inventory market at significant discounts, and actually probably disproportionately big discounts due to limited demand for the top spec variants.

This must harm sales of the highest spec new vehicles which are exactly the variants that Tesla want to sell for maximum revenue as owners will see even bigger depreciation than they might expect and the biggest cost by far of owning a Tesla (any car for that matter) is the depreciation.

imho Tesla would do well to re-consider this policy, as one of the greatest incentives for new Tesla owners is low cost of ownership sic low depreciation. Saturating the market with heavily discounted top spec models is not going to help the sales of these vital revenue generators.

 

[Muhammad]

I feel like discounting the top of the line models is part of the idea. The highest models are already overpriced as they stand, so providing tempting discounts may spur more customers of non performance models to surge on a discounted performance model for 15-20 grand more. The top paying customers who will only be satisfied with a custom ordered car will still pay full price.

 

[Az_Rael]

Eh, I have only once received a car better than mine. And it was a 2014 P85D. So, not exactly new. The realities of that statement probably aren't actually being implemented. Although I know they recently said P100D were going into the loaner fleet, But I can't imagine that happening wide scale.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Eh, I have only once received a car better than mine. And it was a 2014 P85D. So, not exactly new. The realities of that statement probably aren't actually being implemented. Although I know they recently said P100D were going into the loaner fleet, But I can't imagine that happening wide scale.

It's likely just spin. What likely _actually_ happens is that they have top spec cars for test drives (Tesla has software setting to limit the car's capability) and those end up in the loaner fleet if they don't move out of inventory.

 

[BerTX]

Never had a loaner better than my car. Jeep the first time and a Chrysler the second...

I thought getting a Tesla loaner was a myth.

 

[smilepak]

I have a 2015 70D. For the few times I had service done and gotten. Loaner, I would t say they are newer model of what I have. One can argue it could be better in one aspect or another.

I've gotten

2012 P85+
2013 85
2013 85D

I can say from road noise and engine noise perspective, my 70D is much quieter. I did enjoy the added range the loaner had. Otherwise prefer my 70D

 

[GHammer]

I've gotten

2012 P85+
2013 85
2013 85D

No such thing as a 2013 85D

 

[Mediocrates]

Eh, I have only once received a car better than mine. And it was a 2014 P85D. So, not exactly new. The realities of that statement probably aren't actually being implemented. Although I know they recently said P100D were going into the loaner fleet, But I can't imagine that happening wide scale.

I don't know about other service centers, but the San Diego service center has one P100D loaner.

 

[SPXMike]

I got a loaner one out of four times (all nonscheduled) and my SC is a CPO center - couple dozen cars on the lot. They don't loan those out. I'm currently waiting for a loaner battery as my battery died Sunday.

 

[tstafford]

Never once have I had a loaner better than mine. Couple of older MS's and an ICE or two.

 

[Max*]

My service center no longer does loaners on demand. Previously I would be able to call in and say "I'll wait the month it takes to get a loaner vs. an ICE rental", now their policy is "if we have one in the morning, you can take it, otherwise you get an ICE"

In the nearly dozen times I've visited them, I've had a loaner twice. The rest were ICE.

So this is another one of those over promise and under deliver mantra's.

 

[electracity]

"We always want our customers to experience the newest versions of Model S and X while their cars are in service, so we added fully loaded, newly built cars to our service loaner fleet. We always want the service loaner Tesla to be *better* than the customer car being serviced. The customer should never suffer for something that is our fault."

The concept is laudable and praiseworthy but the reality is that Tesla are going to be regularly dumping top spec vehicles on the Inventory market at significant discounts, and actually probably disproportionately big discounts due to limited demand for the top spec variants.

This must harm sales of the highest spec new vehicles which are exactly the variants that Tesla want to sell for maximum revenue as owners will see even bigger depreciation than they might expect and the biggest cost by far of owning a Tesla (any car for that matter) is the depreciation.

imho Tesla would do well to re-consider this policy, as one of the greatest incentives for new Tesla owners is low cost of ownership sic low depreciation. Saturating the market with heavily discounted top spec models is not going to help the sales of these vital revenue generators.

Tesla is manufacturing inventory for 1) Potential buyers interested in the model 3, and 2) The last quarter of full federal tax credit in the U.S.

These are the two critical transitions coming up. Tesla is obviously concerned about keeping unit volume and revenue up during this period. Margins on the best cars is secondary. They may also believe that most of the high end Tesla buyers will find buying a pre-configured "used" car a compromise.

Interesting that Musk recently changed the terminology to "used" from "pre-owned".

Far more people have put off buying a Tesla than have gone ahead and purchased a car. They have to constantly work against "wait and see".

 

[smilepak]

No such thing as a 2013 85D

lol could've been another 85

 

[SomeJoe7777]

It's likely just spin. What likely _actually_ happens is that they have top spec cars for test drives (Tesla has software setting to limit the car's capability) and those end up in the loaner fleet if they don't move out of inventory.

I brought my 85D in for annual maintenance about 3 weeks ago to the Houston Westchase service center. At that time, I got an older 85 for a loaner, but the Tesla rep there said (and he showed me, so I can confirm) that they had 6 brand new 90D's that were being prepped as their new loaners. In the strictest sense, those won't be "better" than those people who bring in PxxD models for work, but those are a smaller percentage of the fleet. For 90+ % of the fleet, a 90D is an equal or higher-end car than they drive.

 

[cgiGuy]

Eh, I have only once received a car better than mine. And it was a 2014 P85D. So, not exactly new. The realities of that statement probably aren't actually being implemented. Although I know they recently said P100D were going into the loaner fleet, But I can't imagine that happening wide scale.

Or.. it doesn't happen overnight and they're in the process of doing it.

 

[smilepak]

Who knows they might get worst by replacing it all with Model 3 so they can have more as loaners

 

[ChadS]

In Seattle/Bellevue, I have been fortunate to receive a Tesla loaner every time, for about 4.5 years now.

Often the loaner is similar or better than my wife's car. But usually not as good as my car (S P90DL). They tried to give me a Model X P90DL last time which would have qualified, but it hadn't been charged so I got bumped down to an X 90D.

I don't mind what they give me, I would be happy with a LEAF. But of course, as always they shouldn't promise top-spec cars and then not deliver.

 

[Az_Rael]

Or.. it doesn't happen overnight and they're in the process of doing it.

I thought the OP's quote was from a statement Tesla made in April 2013.

 

[BigD0g]

I got an infinity cross over two weeks ago for service and it didn't even have cruise control for my 2hr drive home from the service center =(.

 

[DrComputer]

What you receive as a loaner is very cyclical based on end-of-quarter sales goals. At the end of each quarter they manufacturer a lot of new cars and "sell" them to the service centers as loaners to increase their bottom lines sales numbers. After the quarter is over those get re-sold to customers as inventory or used cars and the service centers then cycle in older resale cars into the loaner fleet. This might seem underhanded, but it keeps the stock market and shareholders happy.