Ton of Inventory

[Colgate2004]

There is a lot about this thread that is questionable.

Yes, it seems quite odd that the OP would be so concerned about something s/he has absolutely nothing to do with as to take time out of his/her day to register for a forum account and post a "completely disinterested, purely curious, totally no ulterior motive at all, I swear!" post making false insinuations about what just so happens to be the most systematically deceitfully smeared company in the history of stock market manipulation.
Quite odd indeed.

Then there's Electroman. I'm not sure what his deal is, other than that the notion that Tesla is selling new Model Xs for $30K is... uh...

Questionable.

 

[electracity]

Then there's Electroman. I'm not sure what his deal is, other than that the notion that Tesla is selling new Model Xs for $30K is... uh...

You would think that a glance at ebay would dissuade him from the $30K Model X story. It's hard to get a wrecked model X for $30K.

 

[azred]

How many non-owners of a vehicle would take the time to register at the owner/enthusiast forum for that vehicle, and as their first post. comment that they saw a lot of said vehicles parked at a showroom, and how concerning is that and gosh is that a bad sign for the company.

My Short answer is I cant imagine registering at another car forum to comment on their models' inventories.

 

[S'toon]

My gods! Look at the unsold vehicles! They must be going belly up!

 

[dd564]

Hi all,

Contrary to popular belief, I don't have anything negative to say or any other motives. I like Teslas but it's not something I could afford right now. My daily driver is a Kia Optima. I usually log on to car forums for each brand I own.

The only reason I signed up here was to try and get an answer to the question regarding the number of cars.

Many other brands around by us have large off-site lots where they keep inventory, but it's Honda Civics or Jeep Liberty's, etc.

With Tesla's being in high demand, and with them costing significantly more, I thought it was odd that a lot would have that many sitting there.

What previous posters mentioned appears to be correct however that they are taking deliveries from the factory and that they'll be delivered to owners in the coming weeks. The other day I also noticed that lot had various other makes and models sitting there.

I guess for me where I live, you don't see a Tesla that often yet. It's a rare occurrence, so I was a little surprised to see several just sitting there.
Where I live, it's not like Miami or Ft Lauderdale where half the vehicles being driven are $100k type cars.

 

[StealthP3D]

With Tesla's being in high demand, and with them costing significantly more, I thought it was odd that a lot would have that many sitting there.

My wife and I took delivery of our second Model 3 on the last day of the third quarter in Bellevue, WA. It wasn't ready at the appointed time so we thought we would tour the off-site parking lot we heard about from one of the Tesla Owner's Club members that was on site assisting the delivery personel. I was blown away! It was in the parking lot of a closed Sears store and there were Model S, Model X and (especially) Model 3's as far as the eye could see. Packed like sardines. You could freely roam around and check them out but there were two Tesla security guys cruising around in a Model S to keep away anyone with bad intentions. There were also a number of new Tesla on the move back to the delivery center. It was like a living, breathing organism. There were also trucks there unloading more Teslas and a couple of empty car carrier tractor trailers.

The security guys knew the drill and could tell we were looking for our new "baby" and asked us for the VIN #. Then he called back to the delivery center and confirmed that our car was being prepped and we could go pick it up. At the delivery center were people from two states away (Montana) and also from Idaho picking up their new Teslas. It was an absolute madhouse.

Obviously, Tesla won't sell every last one by the end of the year but they want to make sure they have the right configurations in the right locations. Also, if daily production is continueing to increase, it's possible they are making them faster than they can deliver them. They are still not sending any overseas and they probably want full lots here in the US before they start shipping to Europe. Because overseas sales result in a delay of revenue recognition of 3-6 weeks. So it would be a blunder to not have enough stock in the USA to cover continuing demand while other cars were on ships crossing the ocean.

 

[dd564]

Here are some photos.

There was a semi load there waiting to unload this morning.

 

[dd564]

They been parking the cars on the side of the driveway like that for a bit. Maybe staging for delivery.

 

[dd564]

Here is the auxiliary lot. All of these are pretty much Teslas. The other day the remaining spots were filled with some other vehicles and those spots were empty this morning. Could have been some Teslas that got moved out as well.

 

[johnster007]

Here is the auxiliary lot. All of these are pretty much Teslas. The other day the remaining spots were filled with some other vehicles and those spots were empty this morning. Could have been some Teslas that got moved out as well.

View attachment 361599

Where is this auxiliary lot? Off Ktel drive?

 

[dd564]

Where is this auxiliary lot? Off Ktel drive?

Replied via PM.

 

[dabbler]

I witnessed a similar situation at the Cleveland OH. service center at the end of November. Their lot was totally full of new (mostly Model 3's) that were waiting to be delivered. Back in March of 2017, the lot was empty. I see Model 3's everyday and never the same one. Most people don't realize that the are hundreds of thousands of Tesla's on the road. And the used market is growing every day.

 

[flar]

Many other brands around by us have large off-site lots where they keep inventory, but it's Honda Civics or Jeep Liberty's, etc.

With Tesla's being in high demand, and with them costing significantly more, I thought it was odd that a lot would have that many sitting there.

Tesla also has radically fewer delivery centers compared to other vehicle types. The lots you saw are serving larger areas compared to most brand's dealership networks.

 

[SpiceWare]

Tesla also has radically fewer delivery centers compared to other vehicle types. The lots you saw are serving larger areas compared to most brand's dealership networks.

Yep, Houston has 1 delivery center and we've more people in the metro area than in the entire state of Minnesota. It also covers part of Louisiana - when I helped with deliveries last quarter a couple from New Orleans was taking delivery. That's about the same distance as Minneapolis to Milwaukee or Omaha.

 

[Tic-tac-toe]

I picked up our car the last day of the third quarter in Sept at a service center in N VA. I was told the SC had over 300 cars go to their owners just that weekend.

 

[brianman]

Nitpicker's corner: A ton is roughly half of one Tesla vehicle.

 

[FlyinLow]

Hi all,

Contrary to popular belief, I don't have anything negative to say or any other motives. I like Teslas but it's not something I could afford right now.

Seriosly...

You’re smart checking in and watching Tesla to see if your hard earned money should go to buying one in the future.

Survival tips here on this site:

1. Tesla is disrupting the auto industry so there are a lot of “keyboard critics.”

2. Service Center or Show Room are the correct terms. Tesla does not have a traditional dealer network.

3. Car prices are determined by the parent company and cars are ordered. There are used Teslas that can be bought. There is an occasional car that a person doesn’t buy, but it often gets delivered to the state anyway in case someone else wants it, since some people would rather “have it now.”

4. Other makes you see in the holding lot are trade in vehicles and are auctioned off. Tesla does not sell anything but Tesla vehicles (solar and power storage too).

5. Welcome. Hit up Tesla for a test drive or ask someone that has one in your area to give you a ride. Many Tesla owners enjoy talking about their cars and showing them to potential future owners!

 

[SSedan]

I was over at the Minneapolis SC three weeks in a row late October early November and can vouch for what the OP is saying about the volume of cars. The store was a Madhouse of deliveries every time too.
Far as the separate lot it is over by the hibachi joint if that helps the locals. The first week I went other lots in the industrial park had Teslas too.

 

[dd564]

Seriosly...

You’re smart checking in and watching Tesla to see if your hard earned money should go to buying one in the future.

Survival tips here on this site:

1. Tesla is disrupting the auto industry so there are a lot of “keyboard critics.”

2. Service Center or Show Room are the correct terms. Tesla does not have a traditional dealer network.

3. Car prices are determined by the parent company and cars are ordered. There are used Teslas that can be bought. There is an occasional car that a person doesn’t buy, but it often gets delivered to the state anyway in case someone else wants it, since some people would rather “have it now.”

4. Other makes you see in the holding lot are trade in vehicles and are auctioned off. Tesla does not sell anything but Tesla vehicles (solar and power storage too).

5. Welcome. Hit up Tesla for a test drive or ask someone that has one in your area to give you a ride. Many Tesla owners enjoy talking about their cars and showing them to potential future owners!

1. Understandably so. If I was working for another car company I'd be a bit embarrassed about the strides Tesla made when we already had vehicles rolling, and now they have a better product.

2. Sorry about my error on the terms.

3. Makes sense. Should eliminate inefficiency of inventory sitting.

4. 10-4.

5. Not to offend anyone or come off as trollish, but what do most Tesla owners do for a living. Are most of you independently wealthy? I knew someone who had one. She and her husband bought it a year or two ago. Both professionals, both well paid, high earners with million dollar home. Someone down my street has one. Single guy, no kids, They appear to be awesome cars, but it's not a ROI decision to purchase one, is it? I actually bought a house for less than what a Tesla costs.

 

[StealthP3D]

Not to offend anyone or come off as trollish, but what do most Tesla owners do for a living. Are most of you independently wealthy? I knew someone who had one. She and her husband bought it a year or two ago. Both professionals, both well paid, high earners with million dollar home. Someone down my street has one. Single guy, no kids, They appear to be awesome cars, but it's not a ROI decision to purchase one, is it? I actually bought a house for less than what a Tesla costs.

My first Volvo purchased in 1999 cost about the same as my first Model 3 purchased in 2018. I drove the Volvo for 19 years and the Model 3 replaced it. The operating costs of the Model 3 are considerably lower than the Volvo S80 T6 even though the Model 3 has more performance. So, yes, I think the Model 3 is a good value.

People that think they need a new car every 2-5 years might not be able to afford either.