Tesla Stores

[jerry33]

To me that's not a test drive - that's a ride. I want to see how a car drives from the driver's seat. I've excluded vehicles on handling dynamics (too floaty for my tastes or too hard for pothole season), throttle/responsiveness, outward visibility, comfort, roominess/head room, as well as other things. For first timers driving an EV with regen it's a different experience - not to everyone's taste either. To me, that's the purpose of a test drive. As more competition comes to market, it's asking a lot of a potential customer to take a leap of faith (and hassle) to purchase a car before trying it. You might not be able to get a test drive in exactly the car you're aiming for, but you might also get a different perspective depending upon how a test car is optioned out.

I'm sure many of the folks who have sat in my car also did a test drive later before purchasing. It's still a worthwhile introduction though because most of the times they were where I was because of some event. At some events there were people lined up, so I had signs made to answer basic questions and give people something to do while waiting.

 

[Vic_F]

Coming Soon, Tesla Test Drive comes to you, download the app, pick a date-time available set location and the car will come to you. Contract drivers, perhaps with their own Teslas. Removes the overhead for Tesla, convenient test drives for potential customers. TeslaDrive launches Q3 2019

 

[XGeek]

Coming Soon, Tesla Test Drive comes to you, download the app, pick a date-time available set location and the car will come to you. Contract drivers, perhaps with their own Teslas. Removes the overhead for Tesla, convenient test drives for potential customers. TeslaDrive launches Q3 2019

@Vic_F, I like your simple statement. Are you proposing something different than what I wrote in post #669? Any comments on the potential issue with insurance that others have mentioned?

As @jerry33 wrote, this could be a passenger seat only demo and conversation which would be valuable to many. @jerry33, wouldn't it have been cool to get some Tesla compensation for probably being one of their top sales people with the 3500 demos you gave?

Also, I'm thinking that a test drive by the perspective customer would never occur without the owner in the vehicle which I think would minimize risks. I know I would never let someone who I didn't know test drive my Tesla without me in the car.

 

[jerry33]

@Vic_F, I like your simple statement. Are you proposing something different than what I wrote in post #669? Any comments on the potential issue with insurance that others have mentioned?

As @jerry33 wrote, this could be a passenger seat only demo and conversation which would be valuable to many. @jerry33, wouldn't it have been cool to get some Tesla compensation for probably being one of their top sales people with the 3500 demos you gave?

Actually, I've never even given out a referral code. If I'm doing it to get something, then effectively I'm giving the appearance of not being objective. Now it wasn't entirely selfless. In the early days (six years ago today), getting more people interested, and possibly purchasing, a Tesla reduced the chances of having an orphaned car. But I could always honestly say, "My relationship with Tesla is: I gave them money and they gave me a car".

 

[TheGrimSweeper]

I dont understand why everyone is just assuming you wont be able to test drive anymore?

You'll just need to go to the service center (of which more will be opening) instead of store only...

 

[ElectricLee]

Tesla is closing a first wave of stores starting today

https://electrek.co/2019/03/03/tesla-closing-stores/

 

[mark80908]

I appreciated support from the store but would have been OK without it. I'm OK with online only sales, but I think Tesla is treating employees poorly. EVs will certainly dominate sales in a few years, but Tesla just burned some of their market share. Treat employees poorly, and they will treat customers and product poorly, and customers will go elsewhere.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I dont understand why everyone is just assuming you wont be able to test drive anymore?

You'll just need to go to the service center (of which more will be opening) instead of store only...

Schedule a Test Drive

No idea what happens after that.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Tesla is closing a first wave of stores starting today

Tesla is closing a first wave of stores starting today

Really sad.

 

[BFData]

I was at the West Palm Beach store yesterday and this sign was on the door. There were no sales staff at all in the store. Plus this space used to have a car in it. This all seems very sudden.

 

[ElectricLee]

Wow

 

[The Rookie]

It’s desperation I’m afraid.

 

[JRP3]

When Elon makes a decision he doesn't waste time implementing it.

 

[Dan_A]

I was at the West Palm Beach store yesterday and this sign was on the door. There were no sales staff at all in the store. Plus this space used to have a car in it. This all seems very sudden.

Not familiar with this location, but a quick Google finds a couple of different possible locations, including one that was moving to a former Volvo. Is this part of the facility that also's moving?

 

[BFData]

Not familiar with this location, but a quick Google finds a couple of different possible locations, including one that was moving to a former Volvo. Is this part of the facility that also's moving?

Yes. This is the combo service and sales location on Dyer which is planned to move to the location in West Palm. The service center staff is obviously still there. The new location on Okechobee Blvd in the former Volvo dealership has been remodeled months ago, but for some reason they haven’t moved. It’s hard not to be concerned when marrying up these facts together.

 

[practicalposts]

It’s desperation I’m afraid.

These kind of blanket negative statements are FUD. Check out rookie short sellers past posts.

 

[JRP3]

Check out his status, "Banned"

 

[BFData]

Check out his status, "Banned"

I hate FUD as much as anyone. No question shorts are spreading it. However, it’s good to honestly look at some of the business practices lately. Firing you’re entire sales staff within three days at this one location isn’t a good look. If I was an Associate of a company, I’d hope that’s not the way they’d treat me. It can’t be good for morale for the others who still work in West Palm. I’m sure this is happening at many other service/sales centers. It’s also concerning on why they would buy a Volvo dealership, remodel it completely and then leave it completed and vacant for the last two months. Perhaps it’s permitting related, but my sense is it’s not.

The other thing that doesn’t make sense to me is the 2-4 week delivery time on the $35k Model 3. Elon has said that they are slowly ramping up production and it wil have a similar S curve to the long range model. If this is the case, why isn’t the demand driving the delivery waiting time up to a couple months? The demand should be very high for this car. The only conclusion I can derive is the waiting time for orders will end up being far longer than 2-4 weeks, but Tesla is trying to get as many deposits as they can for the car now, due to their immediate need to raise cash. The immediate dismissal of their sales force would also align with the thesis that they are running very lean on cash. I wish them the best. My Model 3 has been the best car I’ve ever owned by a long shot.

If Tesla is indeed able to deliver the $35k Model 3 in 2-4 weeks, while being limited on production, that would almost be worse as it suggests a demand problem for the car, which I have trouble understanding. Either way it appears that either the company is very low on cash or has lower demand than anticipated. If demand is lower, the killing off of the physical stores doesn’t appear to be a strategy that will help boost demand.

 

[JRP3]

Firing you’re entire sales staff within three days at this one location isn’t a good look.

But when you say you're going to be closing stores it makes sense to move forward and do it quickly. Dragging it out just means spending money where you don't need to.

 

[TechOps]

Schedule a Test Drive

No idea what happens after that.

After that, the car is Summoned from the nearest service center to your front doorstep, and then when you get in the car, a testdrive easter egg app opens and connects you via video conference to Elon Musk, who explains the features of the car while it autpilots itself around your neighborhood, and then drops you off.