Although I’ve been a Tesla owner since 2013, when my 16 year old daughter needed a car, I leased a plain vanilla base Model 3. As everyone on this forum knows, most recent Tesla leases do not include a buyout option (unlike most other standard leases) at the end of the term.
The associate at the service center told me that this is because “Tesla’s going to have a fleet of self-driving robotaxis and will take the lease end cars to create the fleet.” Although I’m an enthusiastic early adopter, and have FSD beta enabled on my Model 3, I think the idea of self-driving robotaxis with current technology is a fantasy. The regulatory hurdles alone, even if the technology works as advertised (which it doesn’t), would take years to overcome.
All of which begs the question: what is Tesla doing with all of its repossessed cars at lease end? I don’t see a robotaxi fleet for years, so is it simply selling the used cars at a markup? I could sell my Model 3 for more than I paid for it in 2018, so I can’t blame Tesla for wanting to take advantage of the windfall profits available to sellers of appreciating used cars.
But if Tesla is just going to sell the cars that are turned in at the end of the lease, wouldn’t there be less transactional “friction” in terms of overhead, paperwork, and headaches involved if it simply offered to sell the car to the original leaseholder at the end of the lease?
I’m sure there are those on this forum who may have an insight as to what is going on. Do let us know.
The associate at the service center told me that this is because “Tesla’s going to have a fleet of self-driving robotaxis and will take the lease end cars to create the fleet.” Although I’m an enthusiastic early adopter, and have FSD beta enabled on my Model 3, I think the idea of self-driving robotaxis with current technology is a fantasy. The regulatory hurdles alone, even if the technology works as advertised (which it doesn’t), would take years to overcome.
All of which begs the question: what is Tesla doing with all of its repossessed cars at lease end? I don’t see a robotaxi fleet for years, so is it simply selling the used cars at a markup? I could sell my Model 3 for more than I paid for it in 2018, so I can’t blame Tesla for wanting to take advantage of the windfall profits available to sellers of appreciating used cars.
But if Tesla is just going to sell the cars that are turned in at the end of the lease, wouldn’t there be less transactional “friction” in terms of overhead, paperwork, and headaches involved if it simply offered to sell the car to the original leaseholder at the end of the lease?
I’m sure there are those on this forum who may have an insight as to what is going on. Do let us know.
