Posted on 04/03/2013 1:40:03 PM PDT by jjotto
Well, that didn't take long.
Yesterday, just before 5 pm Eastern time, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] released details of its new "lease-like" financing product.
The general consensus in the media (we read a lot of Tesla coverage here, folks) has been that it's smart for Tesla to offer financing for its Model S electric luxury sport sedan. It will expand the pool of potential owners.
But the press release, and a subsequent media call with CEO Elon Musk, mentioned a cost calculator on the company's website that purports to let users calculate the true net out-of-pocket cost for a 2013 Tesla Model S under the new financing.
As details of the calculator became visible, however, its assumptions and calculations were widely savaged...
...Our favorite conclusion, tweeted by Automotive News reporter Nick Bunkley: "According to Tesla website, if you live in Calif. and make $2 million/year, driving a Model S has an effective monthly cost of minus-$2,000."
The whole affair leads us to wonder why Tesla continues to push the boundaries of its communications when actual facts so often cast their assertions in a different light...
(Excerpt) Read more at greencarreports.com ...
With government subsidies no matter what they charge they’ll make a profit.
Let’s change tense in the middle of the headline!
if you factor in what the taxpayers paid for each of those cars, its staggering
Toyota Corp. was one of the first to get one of the $100,000 gems. I’m tracking a rumor that when the Tesla was reverse engineered, Toyota found that the $100k car probably cost $140k to build!
Yep, without government subsidies Tesla would be selling RC cars
I've heard the same thing, although I heard the cost to build was in the $150k to $175k range.
The reported "First profitable quarter ever" by Tesla is smoke and mirrors as well. They pulled some sales forward to the first quarter by announcing that they were discontinuing the S model and orders needed to be placed by 3/31. Of course, the S model is the only reasonably priced vehicle in their line up ($50k up, depending on options). But, some suckers lined up to place the orders. PT Barnum was right!
Or: used tacos from TacoBell.
“used tacos”
I like it, government boondoggles could be called “Used Tacos”
My buddy’s daughter just got one.
Other than the battery pack (12 grand) there’s not that much there.
It’s a sheet metal chassis with an electric motor, nicely turned out at a mid luxury car level.
So the unit cost shouldn’t be all that much.
Now if you factor in the capital investment over a relatively small number of cars, yeah that’s a lot.
Is that what you mean by “cost to build” ?
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