Where did Elon Musk go wrong?

Tesla has been about to run out of cash in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008. So you've had ample opportunities to short sell and take advantage of their impending collapse.

This week, a Wall Street Journal (not known for effusive praise) reporter called the Model 3 Performance "a thrilling, modern marvel".

A more supportive author at Electrek called it "the best car on the road at any price".

The skeptics at Munro & Associates estimate the Model 3 is being built at roughly 30% gross profit. The Ford F-150, called "the greatest profit machine in the history of the auto industry", is built at about 25%.

But for me, I'll take the indicator that happened to me yesterday afternoon while I was driving along Rainier Avenue, heading downtown to get a haircut.

I stopped at a light and a group of four gangly middle-school boys from St. Anthony School down the block crossed in front of me, until they saw the car. Their eyes lit up. "Hey, Tesla ! Model 3, man !".

One of them kissed his fingers and touched them to the hood emblem. Another came to my window and tried to talk me into taking them for a ride. The others rolled their eyes at their buddies, but started walking backwards across the busy street to admire the car.

These kids were Somali; the accent is distinct even in kids who have been speaking English for a few years. Odds are good they learned to walk in Mogadishu, a city notable for its lack of roofs, let alone roads.

And what they find cool and desirable and worthy of oohs and aahs... is a battery-powered electric sedan built in California.

There's plenty of future in which I might one day eat crow; the Federal tax credit might make all the difference, and the straight-to-consumer model might collapse under the weight of the fast-growing fleet. Maybe all the welds will crack and the computers will slow down like aging iPhones.

But for now, I'm sticking with my motto on the matter:

"Get in."
 
Apparently Telsa is now asking suppliers for refunds.... That's some extremely shady practices.


They ask suppliers to give back money paid by Tesla in order "to support the company" and help them make profit.


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-it-asked-suppliers-for-refunds-idUSKBN1KD1CE


They must be quite desperate to go that low. I wonder if the automation contractors and companies working for them are going to offer them free work in "support".
 
But for me, I'll take the indicator that happened to me yesterday afternoon while I was driving along Rainier Avenue, heading downtown to get a haircut.

I stopped at a light and a group of four gangly middle-school boys from St. Anthony School down the block crossed in front of me, until they saw the car. Their eyes lit up. "Hey, Tesla ! Model 3, man !".

One of them kissed his fingers and touched them to the hood emblem. Another came to my window and tried to talk me into taking them for a ride. The others rolled their eyes at their buddies, but started walking backwards across the busy street to admire the car.

These kids were Somali; the accent is distinct even in kids who have been speaking English for a few years. Odds are good they learned to walk in Mogadishu, a city notable for its lack of roofs, let alone roads.

And what they find cool and desirable and worthy of oohs and aahs... is a battery-powered electric sedan built in California.

But for now, I'm sticking with my motto on the matter:

"Get in."


LOL, I get that every day I take the car out on the road, and much more. Ha! Magnifies much more at the drag strip.


GET IN !
 
Ken,

Try this one...

I was behind a school bus and here in the south they dont have bus stops they drop the kids off at every house, so stopping and going every 100 feet it was just like a bad traffic day and I was board a little, two little girls got out and started walking up to their house, the smaller one 8ish was holding the older ones hand maybe 12... the little one kept looking back and grabbing the older one harder and harder, about after the 5th time of looking back I gunned it...

She dropped her books screamed at the top of her lungs and ran to her front door :eek:

Priceless... (but you can hear my car ;) ) if it ever stops raining here I will do you a good burnout show you want it should sound like when the wheels screech


Tesla should keep making surfboards https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/07/30/telsa-surfboards-sell-out/862553002/
 
that's legal here in WA. Tesla's problem isn't limited to one person.

My opinion haven't changed. As amazing as their product is to consumers, it's not due to some proprietary technology. It's just how every electric powered car operates. Other car makes can choose, if they want, under sale Tesla. They also still have a lot to learn about making a car that everyday Joe would want. Having to dig 3-layers into the touch-screen to adjust the intermittent wiper speed is not it.

I'm bashing Tesla, I'm just holding it to the same standard as other car makers.
 
Other car makes can choose, if they want, under sale Tesla. They also still have a lot to learn about making a car that everyday Joe would want.

They are...

https://www.wired.com/story/audi-etron-specs-comparison-electric-cars/

https://www.jaguarusa.com/all-models/i-pace/index.html

They are slow to the race but they are coming and have a long way to catch up but they are good cars also so im sure Tesla will have competition in the near future, that said we are the ones going to benefit as competition only makes us better
 

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