Hopefully this puts other CEO’s on notice. Be more careful.
This decision was made during the high of ‘everyone is going EV’ mentality - the automakers were moving their strategies to EV’s, Tesla was riding high, etc..
Then it all fell off a cliff. None of them considered their customers. For Hertz, it’s particularly baffling. A car rental is very simple for the customer, I want to pick one up like fast food - as fast and painless as possible, a good experience, and done when I need. Keeping the vehicle going needs to be also as painless as possible. I don’t care about it. It’s temporary. Now you’ve made it a hassle, I’ll go with somebody else.
The automakers saw the success Tesla was having and tried to follow. Except they also didn’t stop to understand the customer base. Many Tesla customers are feel-good liberals that think they’re saving the planet, have well-paying jobs, and consider it ‘status’. There’s only so many of them. The average Joe doesn’t care less, they don’t want the hassle. Give them a reliable fuel efficient vehicle (because gas is expensive) and they’re happy. When gas is cheap they’ll buy muscle cars - and be happier.
Dictating to your customers is never a good idea. It’s also another great example of government interference in the market, centralized decision making (aka dictating).
The automakers saw the success Tesla was having and tried to follow“
That is just a part of it. When Traitor Joe stole 20 he told them he was going to regulate ICE cars off the roads. He had both houses and they had every reason to believe that is exactly what he would do. So to survive they started the painful transition. 3 years and billions in losses later they are screwed but good. In hindsight they should have spent their money fighting the fascist rats in court.
Some Tesla customers actually make a rational, calculated choice. I was in NYC recently and was picked by a West African Uber driver in a Tesla. He told me it was his best option, as the city was not issuing medallions to gas vehicles, but he could get one for his Tesla right away