RE: Tesla to close showrooms in favour of web

[Baldchap]

Robert-nszl1 said:

Baldchap said:

Robert-nszl1 said:

GranCab said:

Having had a good nosey around a couple of Teslas in the fancy Milan showroom last October ( wife and daughters were in the clothes shops ..... ) I can see why they are moving to online only sales ... online you can't see the appalling fit and finish of the bodywork - wonky panel gaps that would make a Reliant Regal owner wince...

I've heard this. Can any of the owners actually give a balanced comment? They are all so religious about their Teslas. It's like if they keep repeating the mantra they will believe it!

Our Model X is the only half decent 6 seater I could find for sale. The rest are boring people carriers with slow diesel engines and crap infotainment etc. The build quality isn't £150k, or even £50k worth, but I'm paying early adopter premium and I accept that. It's nice having a full 'tank' every morning. It goes unbelievably well in a straight line but doesn't turn or stop quite as well (though better than a people carrier).

My Golf is a better car, but not a better people carrier. I temper that comment by saying that in my opinion, my Golf is a better overall package than anything else for sale today.

Did you do your research properly? With options you paid say £90-100k for your model x? I'd have struggled to walk past an XC90 petrol/ elec hybrid for that money. £60k once optioned. Might not give you the same 0-60 time, but still quick enough, and a lovely place to be. These are hardly about speed anyway given my kids propensity to throw up in the back. Also no range anxiety, but can drive around on electric alone for 25 miles (which probably encompasses most short journeys) and can still be plugged in.

I know some love the nerdiness of early adoption, but the infrastructure just isn't there. Where I live in London there are quite a few kerb side charging points being put in, so I'm not averse to the whole electric car thing. But I'm not sure I'd want to go fully electric yet nor put up with something badly put together. Certainly not for that money

Try £146k.

We wanted a fully electric bonkers people carrier and we got one. 250 miles from a tank. Full every morning. It's great. But it just isn't very good.

[Robert-nszl1]

Baldchap said:

Try £146k.

We wanted a fully electric bonkers people carrier and we got one. 250 miles from a tank. Full every morning. It's great. But it just isn't very good.

Blimey! So you can now get a new one for 2/3 that price. Feels to me like the competition has arrived and Tesla need to see some volume sales. Good to hear an objective view though, and they clearly are very fast (in a straight line!)

[jason61c]

I can’t believe the money they charge for the complete lack of quality.

I’ll be glad to see the back of Tesla. They had a chance to make it, others have just caught up and basically bypassed them.

[Bernie_78]

I don't really understand the dealer obsession

We're told most new cars are PCP or equivalent, and the thread on here for best deals shows a lot of people hunt around online.

You can go look at a Tesla in any service centre much like I walk around used car lots searching for cheap trade ins. My local one has all models in, my local VW can't show me an UP gti for 3 months

I do think how a "typical" pistonheader buys their new car is very different to Joe bloggs in the street. I'm getting a galaxy s10, read about it online waited for the reviews and hit pre-order button in bed this morning. This is how more and more of the average Joe bloggs will buy cars. They don't care about test drives and getting free floor mats. I like others on here find this strange as part of any car purchase is the build up and research phase so I accept they'll find me equally strange

I guess my point is, yup it's a risk, and yes they may fail but I just don't see it and think in 18-24 months we'll see the same cost savings vs tesla bankruptcy talk about a Model Y

[smilo996]

Might as well shut the company. Already overtaken.

[Sixpackpert]

oilit said:

I must admit I went into the Tesla stores in Bristol and the experience was odd - it had an air of elitism which I don't like, so when I was in San Jose California I tried theirs and it was a somewhat more relaxed less stuffy experience, so maybe Tesla Bristol or maybe Tesla in the UK have got their approach wrong - the whole trade in experience and constant changing of what's included or not made the experience seem too hard and complex for me.

Tesla isn't a luxury brand in my eyes like a Rolls/Bentley/Aston etc,(interior build quality - seats especially highlight this) it's just an EV car company that you pay a premium for as an early adopter. The price reduction has gone some way to recognise that if you buy now you are less than of an early adopter as you would have been in the past.

I sincerely hope they survive, and I am sure they will in some shape or form, but probably not as we know them now as others catch up, the truth is, if people order a car they want it within a reasonable time - a year max - as far as I know there are still no Model 3 in the UK yet, so I am sure a number of the deposits have been pulled - I know a few people who have done so.

I have always thought that with Tesla you buy the drivetrain and get the car body/interior for free just like Ferrari described their model a while ago.

I went into the Bristol one and had the same feeling. I went to open the boot of an S to see the size. The sales person sneered at me and stated that it was locked and carried on drinking their coffee.

I left and went to buy something else from people that don’t have their head up their arse.

[Baldchap]

Robert-nszl1 said:

Baldchap said:

Try £146k.

We wanted a fully electric bonkers people carrier and we got one. 250 miles from a tank. Full every morning. It's great. But it just isn't very good.

Blimey! So you can now get a new one for 2/3 that price. Feels to me like the competition has arrived and Tesla need to see some volume sales. Good to hear an objective view though, and they clearly are very fast (in a straight line!)

Bear in mind I'm talking a fully loaded X, not the cheaper S.

Might have a quick peek what they cost now.

Edit: £109k. Not a surprise. I suspected it might become a Betamax, so a simple price drop isn't the end of the world!

Edited by Baldchap on Saturday 2nd March 10:44

[98elise]

jason61c said:

I can’t believe the money they charge for the complete lack of quality.

I’ll be glad to see the back of Tesla. They had a chance to make it, others have just caught up and basically bypassed them.

I don't get the hate for Tesla. If you don't want one don''t buy one, if you do then what's the problem.

Personally I don't care if the fit and finish isn't as good as a Hyundai. The fit and finish in my Elise is hilarious.

I want an electric car with great acceleration, built as an EV from the ground up. Tesla ticks those boxes, BMW almost do but they made the I3 look weird.

[CS Garth]

We have had a pool of pent up demand for Teslas. That initial demand has now been sated to a large extent/itches scratched and growth is slowing rather than rising for them.

The real growth potential is in EVs for the masses not for the over 50 social A/B value signallers. The US isn't ready for this outside of Cali. The UK isn't ready full stop.

They have been a tremendous catalyst for change funded by the faithful. I suspect their faith is soon to be tested. Bailie Gifford hold 20% of the company - it'll be interesting to see how they respond.

[RushDom]

I’ve not seen such levels of religious devotion to a car since the original Fiat Multipla.

Listen, I like EVs. I think they’re interesting. I’m just not a huge fan of Tesla - I think the cars look okay from a styling point of view, but the fit and finish issues that have been publicised are frankly embarrassing. Elon Musk is also a total pedo - sorry, I mean dhead. No doubt the performance of the cars is impressive though.

[thatsprettyshady]

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/liv...

I see the downsizing has already begun

[anonymous-user]

They remind me of DeLorean. Great idea, badly executed. Prices are ridiculous

[Ed.]

thatsprettyshady said:

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/liv...

I see the downsizing has already begun

Someone mentioned Richrebuilds on youtube earlier in this thread, he has a good video of what can happen if the cells don't have their maintenance unit fitted.

Here's the link https://youtu.be/WdDi1haA71Q

[acealfa]

I've never bought a car brand new but I imagine buying from a dealership part of the experience. (In a positive way).

[unsprung]

versus all cars sold by Mercedes Benz and all cars sold by BMW, and so on

if you dismiss this US chart, google a look at Europe total year figures 2018

and see also SUVs, where, although Tesla is not on top, it enjoys significant volume

if you believe that Tesla -- and, crucially, Tesla conquest buyers -- are a sort of minor event, you may be on to tin foil hat territory



chart source:
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/10/03/yep-tesla-gob...

[anonymous-user]

Seem to be closing service centres as well, think this unplanned and no one was injured.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-47427...

[Ed.]

unsprung said:

versus all cars sold by Mercedes Benz and all cars sold by BMW, and so on

if you dismiss this US chart, google a look at Europe total year figures 2018

and see also SUVs, where, although Tesla is not on top, it enjoys significant volume

if you believe that Tesla -- and, crucially, Tesla conquest buyers -- are a sort of minor event, you may be on to tin foil hat territory



chart source:
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/10/03/yep-tesla-gob...

Is there any reason you have chosen figures from one month just before the rebate expired instead of annual?

I don't think anyone has suggested that Tesla has been a minor event, it has pushed other manufacturer's developments ahead by years.
But Mr Musk has said from the start he was more interested in driving the technology forward than running a car company.
His behaviour and other interests seem to support this perhaps to the worry of the shareholders. It is unusual for a car company to be able to pour in investment through year after year of losses.

[anonymous-user]

unsprung said:

versus all cars sold by Mercedes Benz and all cars sold by BMW, and so on

if you dismiss this US chart, google a look at Europe total year figures 2018

and see also SUVs, where, although Tesla is not on top, it enjoys significant volume

if you believe that Tesla -- and, crucially, Tesla conquest buyers -- are a sort of minor event, you may be on to tin foil hat territory



chart source:
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/10/03/yep-tesla-gob...

And you do realise they are closing dealers due to losses?

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4155182-teslas-sa...

63% down in Europe, $790M losses last year?

Would you like some tin foil...

[Thats What She Said]

It looks as though the one in Crawley has closed already

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-47427...

[jason61c]

unsprung said:

versus all cars sold by Mercedes Benz and all cars sold by BMW, and so on

if you dismiss this US chart, google a look at Europe total year figures 2018

and see also SUVs, where, although Tesla is not on top, it enjoys significant volume

if you believe that Tesla -- and, crucially, Tesla conquest buyers -- are a sort of minor event, you may be on to tin foil hat territory



chart source:
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/10/03/yep-tesla-gob...

I wouldn't call Tesla a Luxury brand.