Tesla

[Morris Minor]

Walmart's preordered 15 of the trucks: five for the US & ten for Canada.

[giant_mtb]

Production in 2019?  Doubt it.

[MX793]

Production in 2019?  Doubt it.

"Production", in Musk-speak, means they'll have more than one functional prototype built.

[Soup DeVille]

Wha...

A Ford F350 weighs 3000 lbs more than my Focus, so it can't haul as much, you know, by default. 

Axle and gross vehicle weight ratings are a thing. You get 80,000 lbs. (standard, 5 axle truck without special permits running interstate service) the trucks are capable of much more, but are legally capped.

The more the truck itself weighs; the less cargo it can carry. However, many trucks aren't limited by weight because of the load they carry.  You simply can't stuff enough boxed cereal or bedding or clothing into a 53 foot trailer to approach your max gross.

[Morris Minor]

The love fest.
https://youtu.be/h_SjAcQeU1A

[GoCougs]

This level of distortion of culture is scary. It's to the point that governments are forcing policy based on the Tesla fiction. WtP are going to get ultra screwed on this (which of course we will completely deserve).

[93JC]

Anyone who pays $50k for a reservation now is beyond stupid.

Quick way to raise capital without having to obtain financing...

Is that legal????

Sure, why not? It's not a terrible idea on the company's part; the customers who put down deposits are essentially giving the company interest-free loans.

As a potential customer would I ever put down that big a deposit before ever having seen the car "in the sheetmetal"? No, I agree that you'd have to be beyond stupid. I don't blame Tesla for asking for said deposits though, if people are gullible and/or stupid enough to sink money into a bauble like a Tesla car that they won't actually receive until months or years later.

[giant_mtb]

They basically follow the Kickstarter model.  It's not illegal, but it's great for gullible people capturing.

[MrH]

Seems like a Ponzi scheme if they consistently demonstrate they can't hit any dead line and aren't even providing any timing. 

[Soup DeVille]

Seems like a Ponzi scheme if they consistently demonstrate they can't hit any dead line and aren't even providing any timing. 

It is very much reminiscent of Tucker.

[MX793]

Seems like a Ponzi scheme if they consistently demonstrate they can't hit any dead line and aren't even providing any timing. 

No, because the early "investors" would need to benefit from it (at the expense of the later) to be a Ponzi.

What Musk is doing is more akin to what Preston Tucker was doing to try to raise funds for his car (selling accessories before the car was on sale and promising a preferential spot on the waiting list for those who bought said accessories), and which brought the wrath of the SEC down upon him.  Although Tucker was eventually acquitted of all charges.

[RomanChariot]

Walmart's preordered 15 of the trucks: five for the US & ten for Canada.

Walmart can afford to spend $750,000 to advertise themselves as an environmentally friendly company. It is an image they have been trying to create for some time. If the trucks come to fruition, well that's fine too.

[Morris Minor]

Saw an theory the other day that the reason for the Model 3's stripped-down-to-nothing dash controls is that it's slated as a platform for autonomous Uber-type duties: taxis, ride sharing etc.
Interesting but I think it's waaay too early for that stuff. I want to see everything ironed out: laws, commonality of standards & protocols, liability etc.

[Soup DeVille]

Saw an theory the other day that the reason for the Model 3's stripped-down-to-nothing dash controls is that it's slated as a platform for autonomous Uber-type duties: taxis, ride sharing etc.
Interesting but I think it's waaay too early for that stuff. I want to see everything ironed out: laws, commonality of standards & protocols, liability etc.

I think Tesla's having enough trouble getting current models to the market, and unless they start making money they won't need to worry about future usage.

[12,000 RPM]

Yea pretty much that. But that kind of futurist porn is exactly what investors like to hear. Never forget who Musk is really selling to

[Char]

This whole company is a fucking joke.

[Submariner]

So, uh...

http://www.businessinsider.de/tesla-model-3-delivery-report-misses-fourth-quarter-2018-1?r=US&IR=T

[CaminoRacer]

793 in the final week is a good sign, at least.

[WookieOnRitalin]

What could go wrong with so many fast builds?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvW_PDkElho

[SJ_GTI]

It looks like an interesting car but jeebus I would not want to take delivery on one of these early examples.

[Laconian]

Several people I know just got the 4wk ETA notice for their reservations.

[r0tor]

By the end of Feb the 3 will outsell all of it's competition for the year... Clearly a sign it's a terrible product

[12,000 RPM]

By the end of Feb the 3 will outsell all of it's competition for the year... Clearly a sign it's a terrible product

Really? It's gonna outsell the 3 series?

[r0tor]

Really? It's gonna outsell the 3 series?

It will destroy the all electric 3 series

[Submariner]

By the end of Feb the 3 will outsell all of it's competition for the year... Clearly a sign it's a terrible product

So Musk says, sure. 

[CaminoRacer]

It will destroy the all electric 3 series

Setting the bar high

[Soup DeVille]

It sounds like a GM ad "best selling midsize AWD CUV in its segment."

[12,000 RPM]

It will destroy the all electric 3 series

The Model 3's competitors are not just electric cars.

[12,000 RPM]

It sounds like a GM ad "best selling midsize AWD CUV in its segment."

Wifey and I giggle a lot about increasingly specific qualifiers.

[CaminoRacer]

Wifey and I giggle a lot about increasingly specific qualifiers.

I call them baseball statistics.