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PostPosted: August 3, 2018, 9:29 am 
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People and the cars they buy are strange. I think it is safe to say the typical car is more luxurious than the owners home. Studebaker could not sell the Scotsman, a real economy car, but Ford can sell $60,000 pickups, a real oxymoron. I think Musk realized he had to get the car into the luxury market where people don't really give a damn how much it cost.

Bill


Last edited by BBlue on August 5, 2018, 7:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: August 3, 2018, 4:43 pm 
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Raccoonman wrote:
IMHO one of the Tesla's failing points is that it's a high-end luxury car, at least from where I sit. Unfortunate, because it's also one, if not the ONLY, relatively "normal" looking electric cars out there. ALL of the recent hybrid/electrics seem to try to distance themselves VISUALLY from the rest of the pack; most of them are strikingly ugly IMHO. If Tesla built a -buy in- version without all the requisite gadgetry so vital to modern drivers, perhaps they could double sales and halve their repairs? (I left out the electric Ford Ranger because, for some reason, it failed also, but was visually undetectable from a normal -gasoline- version). Harry and Marge Homeowner don't always WANT to pay a second mortgage in order to drive a new car....


Tesla simply CANNOT sell a basic affordable version.
They depend on those "Upmarket" features to break even or make a small technical profit per car.
Last article I read stated that most of the new Model 3's will have $30K in "Options" over the base price!
And that the first "Option" will be enough range to make them semi-practical. :roll:
Seems the base model, which they have no intention of actually selling, really is just another glorified golf-cart. :wink:
They do not have the production capacity to sell the Base Model in large quantities even if it were popular (Unlikely as that is) and it would deplete their Fed. subsidy that much faster!
They are still dependent on the subsidies and transferable "Green" credits.
Oh, and they are the most "Shorted" stock in America.
Elon made a promise to be profitable in the next two quarters and the stock rose 11%. :shock:
Any guess what happens when that promise is broken? :D
I expect some chicanery to hide their actual earnings in order to claim a profit, just like the Fed. cannot seem to get a strait answer to exactly how many cars have been produced to date.
Fed. needs real numbers to adjust the subsidy, Tesla claims to not know (But they can access and modify every car remotely) so the subsidy has not yet been reduced.
I predict Tesla will never earn an award for ethics. :(

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PostPosted: August 4, 2018, 11:06 am 
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My work pays well, so my co-workers, in their infinite wisdom, drive hummers, new trucks, porches, vettes, jags, mercedes, a few hybrids and yes, tesla. These are not old or base models either. I had an SLR Mclaren parked next to my ford aspire last week. Interesting but doesn't appeal to me at all. Now where is that pinto I saw on craigslist. I bet I can haggle.......

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PostPosted: August 5, 2018, 7:58 am 
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Location: 4AGE in S.E. Michigan
The latest Tesla news, is they are looking at building the Tesla cars in China! Don't you love it. They get subsidized for build/development by the US of A, then transfer the technology and jobs to China. DaveW


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PostPosted: August 5, 2018, 11:50 am 
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Makes perfect sense.
"Loot & Scoot" is a traditional form of theft. :twisted:
Besides which, despite Tesla's best effort it's not that much of a secret that they already have Chinese made product levels reliability. :roll:
Battery goes flat the car is a Brick, transmission failures are pretty common too.
Those are just the major failures, smaller items make back-yard builders look very good in comparison. :)

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PostPosted: August 6, 2018, 9:38 am 
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Location: That point where the humidity and the temperature combine forces to destroy all that is good
Maybe with Chinese labor standards Tesla can actually make a profitable machine and make it more reliable.

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PostPosted: August 7, 2018, 3:08 pm 
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Musk just announced he wants to take Tesla private and has the financing. Shares shot up 6% before the market closed. Anybody interested in taking advantage of this HUGE opportunity to increase their short position?

Or, how about a little poker with a strange geek that can barely grow a beard?

Bill


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PostPosted: August 7, 2018, 4:28 pm 
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Will he pay back all (Any of?) the Gov. Org. money he has taken in various forms?
With interest? :roll:

Tomorrow is the day I formally submit my offer on a house.
Decent place to sleep but I will have to also find a shop to rent.
Never wanted to get this deep in debt.
#$@!*) Tesla!

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PostPosted: August 7, 2018, 4:42 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Unfortunately, deep debt is the new norm in many parts of North America. In my area, the cheapest fixer-upper bungalow with a postage stamp lot will cost you well over 1/2 million, and a decent house with enough lawn to mow will set you back a cool million. Add in a whole pile of new taxes, and your dollar goes half as far as it did 30 years ago. I'm considered "doing well", with only a $500,000 mortgage. Economic experts in my province advise that, to be able to live & have a mortgage, a couple here has to gross between $150K and $200K.

As I said, deep debt is the new "norm". :BH:

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PostPosted: August 7, 2018, 6:42 pm 
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Today's so-called middle class seems no better off than the blue collar worker of 60 years ago who owed his soul to the company store.


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PostPosted: August 7, 2018, 9:06 pm 
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Company store would be bad enough, but I'm feeling like "Big John"!
"At the bottom of this hole........"
Should feel a bit better when the offer is accepted. :?:

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PostPosted: August 8, 2018, 5:32 am 
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"Will he pay back all (Any of?) the Gov. Org. money he has taken in various forms?"

Why should he?


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PostPosted: August 8, 2018, 2:53 pm 
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It's hard to fathom the cost of things now versus when I first began to notice such things, say, in the late '60's going shopping with my parents. I think their rent was a cool fifty bucks a month for a two bedroom block bungalow. My first rented home was 210 a month and utilities were included. My first stick built was fifteen thousand. The one I'm in now was 49k when we moved in, twenty two years ago. The cheapest pickup truck now will set you back more than that.

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PostPosted: October 2, 2018, 1:39 am 
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Elon indicted! :D
Two charges. :lol:
Been busy, wonder if any of the folk that shorted Tesla stock made out yet?

In other news, Jaguar and Audi (Real car companies) have both announced new models that may cut Tesla off at the knee.
According to the article I read all this effort is for 1% of the current auto retail market!!!!
But hey, electric is presumed (A variation ass-u-me'd) to go to a whopping 5% in the next ten years. :roll:

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PostPosted: October 2, 2018, 1:59 am 
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Bit of Tesla/Musk news found on another site.

Quote:
Tesla shares surged more than 17 percent after CEO Elon Musk settled charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission over his recent aborted bid to take the firm private.

As part of the settlement, Musk will relinquish his position as chairman of the board at Tesla for at least three years.
Tesla and Musk will pay $20 million each.


Huh?
$40 Million in penalties and the stock goes UP!?
Or maybe it's Elon being sidelined for three years that is the cause of 17% rejoicing? :?
All crazy to me. :shock:

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