RE: Tesla to close showrooms in favour of web

[anonymous-user]

FurtiveFreddy said:

The negative comments seem to come mostly from people who have no intention of buying a Tesla or probably any new car anytime soon. Don't understand why they bother really.

Standard PH !!

[Robert-nszl1]

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!

[kambites]

Robert-nszl1 said:

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!

There's been a few people who've taken ownership of Model-3s who've put video analysis of the fit and finish on youtube. There was one guy who did a point-by-point comparison to his Japanese car, can't remember what it was, and the Model-3's panels gaps were marginally worse but not hugely so. He did have some paint issues too, and shockingly poor alignment of one of his glass roof panels.

[RobDickinson]

kambites said:

There's been a few people who've taken ownership of Model-3s who've put video analysis of the fit and finish on youtube. There was one guy who did a point-by-point comparison to his Japanese car, can't remember what it was, and the Model-3's panels gaps were marginally worse but not hugely so. He did have some paint issues too, and shockingly poor alignment of one of his glass roof panels.

That was engineering explained on YouTube.

His first model 3, which he traded in after a week for the performance model which was much better than the previous or the Subaru

[madcal]

I last looked at a P100D to replace the RS6 for motorway runs and it was £135,000.

Now it seems to be about £100,000 for the same thing.

Did I mis-read it or did they really whack the price that much?

[Beati Dogu]

jjwilde said:

So explain to us all why if you know Tesla is going bust you don't short them? Anyone?

They've probably rented out their shares to the shorts.

[havoc]

RobDickinson said:

I love the abject hate and pessimism on Tesla in here it's funny.

Established auto couldn't deal with last weeks pricing or tech of Tesla, might catch up to the 2017 model 3 by 2021, now this pricing reduction will have them stting bricks

And this is before they roll in the maxwell tech into their batteries.

Part of me hopes you're right.

But in the UK last year the market share for ALL EVs was around 1%. That's cheap stuff like the Nissan Leaf up to big ol' beasts like the Model S. 20k vehicles sold in a 70m population country.

I know US uptake is greater...but the general market outside the US is still a good few years from widespread acceptance of EVs, and even in the US it's still a real minority.

...so, as others have said, you do have to wonder whether Tesla's cashflow can survive until they reach critical mass (sales-vs-fixed-costs).

[Jag_NE]

LordFlathead said:

Model 3 Base has been approved as stated and it will still qualify for the £3.5k UK subsidy. Next month should see some formal confirmation of prices and orders. Model 3 will be HUGE in the UK for those of us that understand EV's, those of us that own EV's and those of us that want to buy EV's. Don't forget the base model will be rear-wheel drive - how many EV's offer that for your £35k? 0-60 for the slowest of them is 5.6 seconds.. and 2.2 seconds for the Performance model. Great fun and a unique product. As with any entrepreneurial exposure, you cannot compare like for like because they are totally different.

Those people that moan about extra cost for paint etc just do not understand the target demographic for THIS VEHICLE. They are not like anything you have ever owned before coming from an ICE (I'm on my 3rd EV and waiting for the Performance Edition to land in the UK). Paint would make no difference to me, I am buying on performance and costs as a commuter and fun car that requires no visits to petrol stations giving 80% revenue to the government, no issue for congestion charge and servicing is peanuts. In another 8 years time when the drivetrain warranty expires, the car will have paid you back the cost of any fuel you would have put into an ICE car, so just "throw it away" and buy another.

Tesla does not need showrooms. The days of shops in the high street is in massive global decline and before long, high street shops as we know it will be obsolete. You will visit the Tesla Service Centre (as I have done with the release of the P60, 75, 75D, 90D and 100D - yes I visited every time they released the various models), then you either walk away or place a deposit. I did the latter...

Everyone loves to hate Tesla because they don't just go against the grain, they tell the rest of the automotive industry to fk off, and any OEM that can pull that off and still offer a silent ride, lower running costs, and neck-snapping performance is doing just fine in my books.

Good evening Elon lad

[S1KRR]

98elise said:

I think you're missing the point. Tesla don't have dealers in the normal sense. They have units in shopping centers doing the selling, with service centres for service and repair work.

It's the sales units they are closing.

When I ordered mine I went to Bluewater shopping centre but they just directed me their terminals to place the order. It was no different to doing nothing at home.

err Nope


They spent a fortune on this site a while back. Due to it's location

https://goo.gl/maps/ZZ8hbXJLc4y

Their Oxford Street "boutique" type store closed and they moved to Westfield a while back.


This is the nearest service centre I know of, well hidden down the end of a very non descript industrial estate. Must be pretty cheap to rent.

https://goo.gl/maps/exkf1xkDQqv


Only proper dealer is near Gatwick

https://goo.gl/maps/9RUcM3DpZrN2

I believe this was the old Mercedes Benz site before they moved into their new gin palace on the roundabout a mile or 2 away.

[ninepoint2]

Slashing prices and closing physical branches does not seem to fit with a Company that is doing well or comfortable with it's current position. Then again I'm no economist..

[Baldchap]

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.

[RobDickinson]

It'll never catch on

[tubs]

I think in a few ears Tesla will be no more as they have yet to make a profit. The rest of the car industry will have caught up and passed them. who would you rather buy fully electric car from Audi/Porsche with there full dealer infrastructure.....or Tesla..with ..er...a website..

[RobDickinson]

tubs said:

I think in a few ears Tesla will be no more as they have yet to make a profit. The rest of the car industry will have caught up and passed them. who would you rather buy fully electric car from Audi/Porsche with there full dealer infrastructure.....or Tesla..with ..er...a website..

uh is it 2018 still??

[Jader1973]

Another nail in their coffin.

The mainstream OEMs have or will soon have an EV in their line ups, and will rapidly start to spread the tech across their ranges (e.g. next Macan to be EV only apparently).

Once you can walk in to any Porsche, Merc or BMW (or Volvo, or Ford, or Vauxhall, or VW) dealership and be offered an EV and get it serviced there, then Tesla are done.

Tesla are nothing more than a plaything for geeks and have zero mass market appeal. They won’t be able to sustain themselves by only selling to geeks, and non-geeks won’t go near them because they are an unknown, are now online only, and have crap service centre coverage.

As for online sales, my employer started online sales: value your current car, build and price your new one, order it and then go to a dealer and collect it. AFAIK we only sold a handful of cars through it and I’m not even sure it still exists.

[Robert-nszl1]

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

[oilit]

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.

[anonymous-user]

M3 is a potential to replace my i3 in Sep 20 to become my 3rd EV

Looking forward to seeing / driving one and pricing

Closing stores is not free: leases / redundancies etc

Mobile service is surely the future. Like tyresonthedrive, a fully equipped Tesla truck can come and do the service at home / workplace. Nice and convenient for me

I’ll say one thing for Tesla, it likes living on the edge. Should it still be around when I’m ready to change, I’ll give it’s cars a serious look. If Tesla is gone by then i’ll be disappointed but not totally surprised

[anonymous-user]

I’m sure it’s sold as ‘the future’ but in reality most people want to have a dealer network. Tesla just aren’t a proper car manufacturer for me, probably never will be and the niche that they occupy will soon no longer exist when the mainstream decides the time is right. Then, they’ll just become an ‘expensive Chinese EV’, lacking any pedigree with a huge price tag, but not having the ride, quality or customer experience that a £100K car normally does. The last Tesla sales person I spoke to promised an extensive dealer network by 2017? Early adopters will love them, that’s not a debate, but it’s also not going to sustain a company uniquely funded as they are, $675M losses aren’t great by anyone’s standards.

[98elise]

Jader1973 said:

Another nail in their coffin.

The mainstream OEMs have or will soon have an EV in their line ups, and will rapidly start to spread the tech across their ranges (e.g. next Macan to be EV only apparently).

Once you can walk in to any Porsche, Merc or BMW (or Volvo, or Ford, or Vauxhall, or VW) dealership and be offered an EV and get it serviced there, then Tesla are done.

Tesla are nothing more than a plaything for geeks and have zero mass market appeal. They won’t be able to sustain themselves by only selling to geeks, and non-geeks won’t go near them because they are an unknown, are now online only, and have crap service centre coverage.

As for online sales, my employer started online sales: value your current car, build and price your new one, order it and then go to a dealer and collect it. AFAIK we only sold a handful of cars through it and I’m not even sure it still exists.

Vauxhall/Opel, BMW, Nissan, Hyundai, Renault, Jaguar and Kia all have EV's you can buy and get serviced in their dealer networks.