Tesla, TSLA & the Investment World: the Perpetual Investors' Roundtable

[Mike Smith]

People who think this won't sell well are nuts. This is going to be a fantastic buying opportunity today.

 

[Fact Checking]

People who think this won't sell well are nuts. This is going to be a fantastic buying opportunity today.

Agreed, personally I'm a stainless steel fetishist: I routinely buy various products at twice the usual price if it's stainless steel. Getting an outdoor vehicle for less thanks to stainless steel? Wow ...

Let's see how much of a Black Friday discount Chanos & co are going to offer.

Not advice though.

 

[MXWing]

Just got home from the Cybertruck event.

I'm not an Avant-garde individual. I tend to REALLY gravitate towards conservative and conventional designs. That doesn't mean I am unwilling to change my mind once I take in new information.

So no, I was not enthralled with the Cybertruck when it rolled on stage. Looks very different, TOO DIFFERENT from what I expected out of a truck.

While waiting in line to go on a test ride, I saw probably 30 passes of the Truck coming and going. My thought processes went from

WTF is this -> I'm ordering one!

Yes the design is going to throw off some people but for me, I look at things very pragmatically and I came to a few conclusions:

* I love how durable this vehicle is. Model 3 probably gets totaled the moment it drives on unpaved roads. Definitely totaled if you take a sledgehammer to it.

* Seating 6 passengers and having tons of cargo space makes this a multi mission vehicle. While it's different, I can envision it being a Model X refresh. I can replace a lot of SUV and Minivan missions with this truck. When not towing or powering tools, 500 miles range is practically unlimited.

* Filling up a truck would cost me $100 in California. I'm currently $-1000 in energy from solar generation. I would love to drive this beast around for "free".

* It's a Tesla! So much fun to drive and so many neat little toys, features and updates that only come with Tesla.

* You get so much value for your money. A lot of capacity, a lot of range, a lot of usage scenarios.

Middle America is going to poo poo on this initially I think - just on looks. However, they won't be able to argue with the PERFORMANCE of the Cybertruck. Eventually they will have to cave in.

 

[Fact Checking]

Random photo from one of the attendees:

Look at that reflection on the door, and imagine a high polished mirror finish option. Imagine lying in the grass next to this, under a starry night sky. I'm in love.

 

[Thekiwi]

My wife just saw the pictures & said it looked like a batmobile.

Now look at this video of a demo by Marques Brownlee: Marques Brownlee on Twitter

Yes, it does look like a batmobile - but faster.

 

[lascavarian]

I am excited about the SS used in the truck and how that will develop. I think it is a great material choice but there is a lot to learn.

When I got my 3 I got it partially wrapped in Xpel. I liked it and bought some Xpel stock which has done _very_ well. I like the idea of SS for a durable long lasting body and the idea of using wraps for customization. I think the planar body lines will be easy to wrap.

I am wondering how well suited this truck will be related to the fires flaring up these days? Looks like a good escape vehicle.

 

[j6Lpi429@3j]

I know pickups are very trendy with a lot of Americans who frankly don't need them (we have the same in the UK with people buying 4x4 vehicles who live on a completely flat plain...), but I think it would be unwise not to consider this:

Pickup trucks actually ARE used for proper work.

In other words, companies, big and small, need work vehicles that can do serious towing, go off-road, carry heavy weights, and super-ideally, provide their own power. If its a 'work vehicle' and you don't give a flying f**k what it looks like, because you have your own normal 'car' in the garage, then all that matters is the specs.

Frankly I found the price astonishingly low.

My random uniformed opinion: Tesla sells a few tens of thousands of these in the US to rappers, tech-bros and people who want to show off, but it sells a LOT of them to construction companies and a LOT of them in China and the middle east. (esp given the bulletprooofness).

In terms of Stock price. I don't give a damn. Tesla is crushing it with S,X,3 and will with the Y and Semi. I suspect this is going to be a model S/X level product, not another model 3, but am happy to be proven wrong. People were sure electric cars could never sell, and rockets couldn't land, but someone has proven us all wrong before.

 

[Fact Checking]

BTW., one small thing during the unveil that I initially missed:

Tri-Motor AWD? Could this be the Plaid powertrain for the highest trim level truck?

This is the first time I think that Tesla designed a vehicle that will span the whole price and performance spectrum of the market: mass market price levels to high end specs.

 

[heltok]

I find it a bit disturbing how it quickly my view of how cars are supposed to look has changed. For example Model X next to the Cybertruck:

It just looks so round and so soft.

 

[floydboy]

I’d rather not get hit by any car, obviously. But a pedestrian is more likely to survive if a car hits them in the legs (low bonnet) than being hit much higher up.

I understand, but isn't NOT running over people high up on the automatic emergency systems list?

 

[Fact Checking]

Here's a shot in the Motor Trend article that I haven't seen elsewhere yet:

Note how the headlights make manufacturing cheaper while improving the quality of the light (the light beam from just two point-reflectors is very difficult to balance), and note the high beams at the top of the truck.

This is even better than how I imagined the truck's front would look like:

Spoiler: Old truck guess based on the teaser image

The shallower angle is key to making it proportionate from the front. A Semi Truck alike design would have ruined that look.

 

[Frank Einstein]

I understand, but isn't NOT running over people high up on the automatic emergency systems list?

Absolutely. That’s why I said in my original post that that’s what FSD is for. There’s actually a big debate on in Europe at the moment regarding pedestrian safety with regards ever higher bonnets/hoods. Looking again at the Cybertruck, though, looks like the front is lower (?) than on a traditional truck. Possibly means it’s safer for pedestrians - but I’m no expert in this.

 

[Thekiwi]

So with he electrical outlets on the cybertruck - presumably one could charge another Tesla with it?

 

[CorneliusXX]

You know, it's funny you would say that. I was one hoping for a radically, non-traditional design. But when I first saw it I was appalled. I thought it was a joke. I kept waiting for Elon to pop off those body panels and reveal the real truck underneath. But as I looked at it for a while and learned more about its exoskeleton, uni-body design and studied it from different angles, it started to grow on me. Then I realized it wasn't a cruel joke, it was something truly cool and unique. And the more I saw pictures and videos of it, the more it grew on me.

What really got me were the low prices and amazing specs. Before the reveal, I was prepared to pay for around $100,000 for the fully loaded model I would want. But I ended up ordering the mid-model for only $49K! And only because I didn't want to wait another year for the tri-motor model. That's so cheap I can still hardly believe they will be able to stick to those low prices.

And, yes, it *is* beautiful!

I wen't through the same roller coaster ride you did. Now I think it has some really cool features and looks great from some angles. But every now and again I see it from the wrong angle and think OMG it looks ridiculous.

Also, to me it looks better with the ATV in the back than without. Might have to buy that too just for the curb side appeal.

 

[Tslynk67]

Just in case there's anyone here that doesn't get the own thing, it's Blade Runner...

 

[Mike Smith]

 

[SteveG3]

So with he electrical outlets on the cybertruck - presumably one could charge another Tesla with it?

It was charging they ATV on stage

I think this could be a great Ranger Service vehicle

 

[aubreymcfato]

MKHBD has a video on Youtube about this, he did test drive:

 

[CorneliusXX]

Decided to make a few small changes:

Would you be able to make a version that has the new roof line in your amended version but bring back the sloped tail? I think it might look ok.

All hail the rhombus.

 

[MABMAB]

The Delorean Truck approaching in the rear view mirror would say "Get the F out of my way"