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

[Artful Dodger]

To add on to what some have just mentioned about how the unveil didnt focus on the areas it should have. The event really should have been held in the middle of nowhere in the desert, during the day or dusk when there's still some light, and in ways that show off how it would do for everyday truck buyers.

The Motortrend images that were captured during the day look 10 times better than their lighting setup at the design center. Literally everyone agreed that it looked much more appealing when the Motortrend images and video came out.

Lol, I've seen this movie. It did not end well for the tourists...

Cheers!

 

[mongo]

One of the things I’ve always loved about the model X, but I do not have on my model three, is that panoramic windshield. It looks like the cyber truck may have that same wonderful view.

The roof cross beam on the X is behind the driver's head. The Cybertruck is like the the 3 and S with the beam in front of the driver's head. However, the increased height of the truck and straight windshield going to the peak may give the same forward visual scene as the X for most drivers.

My fingers are crossed that I'll be able to see the lights at intersections.

 

[SteveG3]

My wife loved this picture, and my great idea for a commercial: Have Arnold Schwartzenegger come rolling up fast to the camera , throw open the passenger door, and say "Get in if you want to live", in true Terminator style. Someone REALLY needs to make this!

that’s funny. I was thinking of Arnold earlier today.

shot of Franz and Elon standing and laughing as Franz picks up steel ball

Arnold barges in with work leather jacket and shades on.

Glares at Franz and just rips ball out of his hands.

Tosses it at mirror, ball bounces off no damage.

Arnold removes shades. Looks at Elon and Franz, smiles and simply says, “Nice work, I’ll take 12”


I don’t know the depth of Arnold’s concern for the environment, but, he did set Greta up with a Tesla for her travels in North America this fall.

Would be pretty cool to have the guy who made the Hummer a consumer vehicle emphatically behind this product because he believes in it and the company’s mission.

 

[Christine600]

Don't give this woman a gun. She's getting closer. Must have shaky triggerfingeritis. Is that already an Icelandic word?

Iceland prefer local words above imported words - so perhaps something like skakaskjutfingir?

I thought about that, but I wonder if it would have enough headroom if you shrink it down. I guess they might be able to add a flat roof, but some have said the triangle gives it the strength.

In one of the ridealong videos some guy said it was several inches of space above his head when sitting in the back. So there might be room for a smaller cyber too.

 

[CorneliusXX]

you serious?
if not a disaster, at least its far away from being good.

No other OEM has received this many reservations for any of their vehicles

 

[SteveG3]

I don't see the 146k reservation tally as that great. For context, the Model 3 was at 276k pre-orders after 2 days. The Cybertruck isn't quite at 2 days yet but is at 146k through 1.7 days, so it likely to be around 160k at that point. So it's on track for about 60% as many reservations despite being in a much larger niche with a much smaller down payment.

Given that the pickup niche is 2-3x that of a compact sedan, I think 500 - 700k reservation would indicate similar popularity (2-3x * 276k), but then the downpayment is much smaller now. Since $100 is much easier to part with, I think roughly 1 million reservations at this point would indicate similar reception. So arguably reception is only 15% as good as the Model 3.

I think Tesla could improve that with some moderate changes to the design. Some tweaks to the rear flanks and adding side windows into the vault (to give it more of a pickup silhouette without actually having one) could do a lot to break up the very blunt rear half in the side profile.

One additional huge bit of context,

People in the US (#1 in reservations for the car) lined up for the Model 3 aware that their spot on line could make a difference of up to $7.5k.



Under current law, there is not a dime at stake re getting in line for any US federal incentives.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

And what about Naomi? (SNL humor.)

That burning question was from a running skit not on SNL but on The Electric Company; a young Morgan Freeman debuted on that Public Television show as the 1960s ebbed into the Early 70s...

Totally electric!

See, I’m not the only one who remembers! Totes appropes for this forum.

 

[BornToFly]

I said I was done with LEAPS, but I'm buying Monday and hopefully paying for the Dual to Tri-motor upgrade. Thank you to everyone that sold Friday!

 

[Drumheller]

I've never had a truck. Never wanted a truck.

 

[BornToFly]

I don't know why, but when I picture my Cybertruck accelerating and rolling over stuff, I imagine a loud diesel engine sound! Make it stop!!!

 

[MXWing]

I find it hilarious that the Cybertruck is inciting civil war even among fellow Tesla owners. There's probably more vitriol and eating our own than from Ford/Chevy groups.

So when I get my Cybertruck I'm going to park really close to the driver side door of other Tesla's.

Those owners can:

1.) Summon their car out.
2.) Crawl through the passenger side.
3.) Ding their door trying to get into their cars.
4.) Buy their own invulnerable Cybertruck.

 

[Krugerrand]

So what might the implications be for a factory for Cybertruck, please?

For example, say GM’s just sold Lordstown plant were to come on the market in 8 or 12 months (or even next week once the Lordstown Motors folks digest the specs). Would the unibody construction and simple shapes make it amenable for that or another plant? Or would the ultra-hard stainless steel require too extensive modifications?

The implications question is of course two-fold. First, would retrofitting an existing, traditional plant make more sense than building a new factory for Cybertruck vs their other vehicles? Second, would Musk choose to do so?

Maybe @RobStark, @Krugerrand, and others might chime in too. TIA all.

Depends?

Sometimes it’s less expensive to start from scratch, sometimes to refurbish. If the old is close to what you need then refurbish, otherwise you’re better off to plow it under and start fresh, ime.

 

[ZeApelido]

I find it hilarious that the Cybertruck is inciting civil war even among fellow Tesla owners. There's probably more vitriol and eating our own than from Ford/Chevy groups.

So when I get my Cybertruck I'm going to park really close to the driver side door of other Tesla's.

Those owners can:

1.) Summon their car out.
2.) Crawl through the passenger side.
3.) Ding their door trying to get into their cars.
4.) Buy their own invulnerable Cybertruck.

Civil War? More akin to Operation Desert Shield because I think the pro-Cybertruck side has already won.

 

[Artful Dodger]

Imagine a neighbourhood in California, lots of PowerWalls, somehow all hacked, dumping their power one second, full charging the next and on and on and on.

Yeah. Then imagine how this hypothetical Powerwall, complete with open WiFi and a preset/unchangable admin pwd has been shipping to customers for 3 yrs, but this wide-open back-door was somehow UNDETECTED by neighborhood 12 year olds, until discovered by white-hats on the weekend of the Cybertruck unveil.

Very revealing...

/S

 

[ZeApelido]

Again now you can buy solar, power wall, and have a multi-day backup power resource with a Cybertruck. Question is, how hard would it be to connect the 240 V AC output into a power wall to charge up?

 

[Artful Dodger]

I give it a 50% chance Telsa will bring the Cybertruck design language to smaller cars. Plus the cost savings! $25,000 Cybercar?

Yeah. its JohnnyCab w. FSD, recall? That's totally a Tesla Model 1 right there:

Cheers!

 

[ammulder]

No other OEM has received this many reservations for any of their vehicles

Hey, not so fast! Ford got 14,000 reservations for the Mach E already!

 

[Artful Dodger]

Agreed. There is not a single Wall Street analyst who have truck in their number forecasts! Not a single. This growing number will have to weigh into their bs at some point.

Well, ol' Gene Munster predicted 50K Cybertrucks total produced in 2023 during his interview on CNBC on Friday morning after the reveil.

/S Gene? Cuz ya gatta b kidn rite?

 

[BornToFly]

Anti-Tesla trolls are hilarious. An exchange with a guy on Youtube:


j Bjez2 hours ago
People who would buy the cyber truck, aren't or was never a truck guy


rickdc32 hours ago
Or for anyone that wants a truck for only $39,000 that doesn't rust, doesn't dent, doesn't scratch, will last a million miles, and only costs $2/day to drive 60 miles with basically no maintenance costs other than tires. Seems to me that only people that are really bad at math and don't care about money will buy anything else.


j Bjez1 hour ago (edited)
@rickdc3 and isn't that the point of owning a truck for it to get scratches and other exterior damages IF doing heavy duty labor, and if you don't want to man up to the damages and other maintenance problems, well that your problem


rickdc31 second ago
@j Bjez You would rather have a truck that gets scratches and other damage from heavy duty labor, than one that doesn't? Do you buy a new truck and then bang it up the next day to make it look used? I'm trying to understand what you are saying, because it makes no sense.

 

[MC3OZ]

I thought about that, but I wonder if it would have enough headroom if you shrink it down. I guess they might be able to add a flat roof, but some have said the triangle gives it the strength.

Edit: I guess if they didn’t mind the bad aero, they could reduce the rear taper. Maybe even use that for the $25k hatchback design.



How about this as a rationalization? You are locking in the $7000 FSD price. If they do succeed with FSD in the next few years, the price can dramatically increase. It’s like a $100 call option for the possibility that the vehicle will be worth more with full self driving

When shrinking it down they are not limited to this form factor, that was mainly determined by towing.

The limitation as I understand is no stamping and no paint, so square angular panels and flat glass.

So probably a similar front end, but a different angle for the windscreen, and a flat roof are possible.

If you can make it by cutting and folding cardboard they can probably built it, if it makes sense.