silvrsvt Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Hmmm...so Tesla never considered that the demand for their cars might hit an inflection point? https://electrek.co/2018/12/31/tesla-model-3-inventory-us/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 They are confusing demand for electrics with demand for Tesla. Personally, I think Teslas are ugly. I know I'm not the only one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rperez817 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Daily selling rate of Tesla Model 3 in November 2018 was 746 cars. At that rate, an inventory of 3,300 means that Model 3 has fewer than 5 days supply. That makes it one of the fastest selling vehicles in the entire automotive industry. And Model 3 has been the best selling domestic car (assembled in the U.S. by a U.S. company) for the past couple months. My family and I visited the Tesla Gallery at the Clearfork shopping center in Fort Worth last week. We got to test drive a Model 3 Mid Range RWD and try out the Autopilot feature. Very impressive car. And great customer service too, even better than the best traditional car dealership. Model 3 is my top choice to replace my Jaguar XF when that time comes. Even without the full $7,500 federal tax credit, Model 3 is a great value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Lover Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 45 minutes ago, rperez817 said: Daily selling rate of Tesla Model 3 in November 2018 was 746 cars. At that rate, an inventory of 3,300 means that Model 3 has fewer than 5 days supply. That makes it one of the fastest selling vehicles in the entire automotive industry. And Model 3 has been the best selling domestic car (assembled in the U.S. by a U.S. company) for the past couple months. Read the linked article. The author of the article is positing that demand will "crater" in 2019 as the federal tax credit is halved. Everyone references what happened to the Leaf in Georgia after the state eliminated its tax credit at the end of 2015 - Leaf sales fell 89%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 34 minutes ago, Harley Lover said: Read the linked article. The author of the article is positing that demand will "crater" in 2019 as the federal tax credit is halved. Everyone references what happened to the Leaf in Georgia after the state eliminated its tax credit at the end of 2015 - Leaf sales fell 89%. I can vouch for that. Nissan was offering a $199/month lease on Leafs which made them cheaper than just about anything else at the time thanks to the rebate/tax credit. A certain ethnic group in my area known for being frugal bought tons of them. It got to be a running joke since you would see 6-8 leafs every time you went somewhere and 9 out of 10 would be driven by them. As soon as their leases expired and the tax credit went away they disappeared completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probowler Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 2 hours ago, J-150 said: They are confusing demand for electrics with demand for Tesla. Personally, I think Teslas are ugly. I know I'm not the only one. The 3 really looks like ass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probowler Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 34 minutes ago, Harley Lover said: Read the linked article. The author of the article is positing that demand will "crater" in 2019 as the federal tax credit is halved. Everyone references what happened to the Leaf in Georgia after the state eliminated its tax credit at the end of 2015 - Leaf sales fell 89%. Good, why should we subsidize people buying cars? If tesla can't make an affordable electric that people want to buy without stealing taxpayer money to do so... then it's time for this car to go bye bye. I have nothing against electrics, I just don't like the government running these programs, especially with our massive deficit. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 I’ve read they’re having significant growing pains with regard to how they service vehicles due to all the 3s they’ve sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rperez817 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Harley Lover said: Read the linked article. The author of the article is positing that demand will "crater" in 2019 as the federal tax credit is halved. Everyone references what happened to the Leaf in Georgia after the state eliminated its tax credit at the end of 2015 - Leaf sales fell 89%. The issue with the author's argument is that it assumes people are buying Tesla Model 3 only because it's an EV and so they can get a tax credit. I don't think that's true. Tesla Model 3 isn't just an excellent EV. It's an excellent car and is as good or better than any gasoline or diesel powered sports sedan in its class such as BMW 3-Series, Jaguar XE, etc. Most EVs in the U.S. other than the Teslas and Chevy Bolt are compliance cars. They exist mainly to meet ZEV regulations in certain states and are not particularly great cars otherwise. That's why sales of Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and Ford Focus EV dropped so much in Illinois and Georgia when those states eliminated their state level EV tax credits. 33 minutes ago, probowler said: Good, why should we subsidize people buying cars? If tesla can't make an affordable electric that people want to buy without stealing taxpayer money to do so... then it's time for this car to go bye bye. I have nothing against electrics, I just don't like the government running these programs, especially with our massive deficit. I agree probowler sir. As I mentioned earlier, Model 3 is my top choice for the car that replaces my Jaguar XF. If there's no tax credit at all by the time I'm ready, that's fine with me. Model 3 is competitively priced without the tax credits and will continue to do well in the automotive marketplace. Example. Tesla Model 3 Mid-Range RWD with premium interior: $47,200 including destination, without tax credits Jaguar XE Prestige 30t RWD with Vision pack (comparable features and performance to Model 3 Mid-Range): $51,125 Edited January 1, 2019 by rperez817 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbone Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 2 hours ago, probowler said: The 3 really looks like ass. Agreed! The Model S is a genuinely good looking car though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 12 minutes ago, tbone said: Agreed! The Model S is a genuinely good looking car though. I prefer the pre-MCE S. Will be interesting to see what if anything they do with the S. It’s older than the Fusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbone Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Yes, I preferred it with a fau grill, but still a good looking car and has better proprortions than the 3. It’s the front clip of the 3 that ruins it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 The Head Stylist at Tesla is Franz von Holzhausen. He's previously worked at VW (part of the New Beetle team), GM (Pontiac Solstice), then Mazda. A pretty good resume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Wasn't Tesla prioritizing delivery of higher trims ahead of the lower cost versions? it wouldn't be the first time that a manufacturer has charged off building the wrong trim mix... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 1 hour ago, mackinaw said: The Head Stylist at Tesla is Franz von Holzhausen. He's previously worked at VW (part of the New Beetle team), GM (Pontiac Solstice), then Mazda. A pretty good resume. Peter Schreyer worked at VW too. Now he gives us those gawd awful Hyundai/Kia designs. And of course who can forget J Mays when referencing VW. Mr. 500 himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 So......what's happening to all those buyers who are on the order list, are they now getting cold feet? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rperez817 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Tesla Model 3 inventory was just over 1,000 units as 2018 came to a close. Also, Tesla just reduced prices on Model 3 by $2,000 starting January 1, 2019. They also said " Tesla’s achievements in 2018 likely represent the biggest single-year growth in the history of the automotive industry. " https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/01/02/1679576/0/en/Tesla-Q4-2018-Vehicle-Production-Deliveries-Also-Announcing-2-000-Price-Reduction-in-US.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rperez817 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 19 hours ago, akirby said: Nissan was offering a $199/month lease on Leafs which made them cheaper than just about anything else at the time thanks to the rebate/tax credit. A certain ethnic group in my area known for being frugal bought tons of them. Probably a non white ethnic, probably Hispanic or black. Nissan USA does a very good job marketing to these groups. Their success attracting Hispanic and black customers in particular made Nissan #1 in terms of non white ethnic customer percentage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 9 minutes ago, rperez817 said: Probably a non white ethnic, probably Hispanic or black. Nissan USA does a very good job marketing to these groups. Their success attracting Hispanic and black customers in particular made Nissan #1 in terms of non white ethnic customer percentage. I wouldn't say that blacks and Hispanics are known for being frugal. I would guess Indian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 9 minutes ago, fordmantpw said: I wouldn't say that blacks and Hispanics are known for being frugal. I would guess Indian. Winner winner chicken dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rperez817 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 2 minutes ago, fordmantpw said: I wouldn't say that blacks and Hispanics are known for being frugal. I would guess Indian. Come meet a black or Hispanic family in the DFW Metroplex (including my own) and we'll show you how creative we are making the most of every dollar. And not just for automotive related expenses. ? Seriously though, blacks and Hispanics in the U.S. are frugal out of necessity. They have less wealth than other groups. American Indians are also like this. But the Indians are such a small proportion of the U.S. population outside reservations and a few cities like Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Phoenix that they won't affect the numbers for car buyers for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 35 minutes ago, fordmantpw said: I wouldn't say that blacks and Hispanics are known for being frugal. I would guess Indian. Chaldeans too. I know that from my days selling beer. A lot of the Chaldeans I dealt with were straight up cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 43 minutes ago, rperez817 said: Come meet a black or Hispanic family in the DFW Metroplex (including my own) and we'll show you how creative we are making the most of every dollar. And not just for automotive related expenses. ? Seriously though, blacks and Hispanics in the U.S. are frugal out of necessity. They have less wealth than other groups. American Indians are also like this. But the Indians are such a small proportion of the U.S. population outside reservations and a few cities like Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Phoenix that they won't affect the numbers for car buyers for example. A lot of individuals are frugal by necessity, but it’s a cultural thing with Indians. When I sold furniture in college back in the 80s they would spend a hour or two negotiating, then they never wanted to pay sales tax (I pay you cash!) or the delivery fee. It got so bad that the manager just refused to even negotiate. He would say the prices marked are the final prices and they don’t include sales tax or delivery. If you need me I’ll be over here. I’m told that’s just how they do business back in India. The point was just to reinforce that the government credits/rebates create artificially low lease pricing that lures buyers strictly on price - they couldn’t care less about it being a BEV. I’m sure Tesla buyers are less concerned about price than leaf buyers but I guarantee you when the credits cease sales will drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msm859 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 48 minutes ago, akirby said: ....... The point was just to reinforce that the government credits/rebates create artificially low lease pricing that lures buyers strictly on price - they couldn’t care less about it being a BEV. I’m sure Tesla buyers are less concerned about price than leaf buyers but I guarantee you when the credits cease sales will drop. The tax credit dropped by $3750 on the Tesla and they lowered prices by $2,000. I doubt a $1750 increase on the S or X will make any difference. On the 3 it might but that still only represents @3% increase. Tesla may be in a position to lower prices at each reduction in tax credit dependent on demand here and abroad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) Besides Lincoln, Tesla really is the only other vehicle brand I would consider right now. I strongly believe that ICE cars are pretty much a commodity now, you really chose base on price and styling because the substance really isn't that different. However, when it comes to Tesla, there is a massive leap from the buying experience to the product itself. Tesla is redefining absolutely everything, that's pretty exciting to me because the American car industry badly needed it and I'm glad Ford is squirming, they need a REALLY sharp kick in the ass. Innovation is otherwise painfully slow and incremental (particularly in Detroit). Edited January 2, 2019 by Assimilator 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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