Tesla Roadster - No More - Hard Times

The aol link page is gone.
Here is another link to the story,
Tesla Hits Some Serious Potholes - DailyFinance

I doubt it can sell 5000 model S for the still expense price, I will buy Lexus hybrid instead.

 

Totally biased and slanted article.
For example, what is this comment:

There is nothing 'alleged' about this, nor is it news. Before the roadster was ever built the plan was to build a very high end/low production sports car, then a Sedan which would be a luxury sedan (competing with the likes of Mercedes), and then an economy sedan.

Tesla is focusing all of their efforts on the Model S sedan, so yes, they are stopping production of the Roadsters. They plan to start making their own Roadsters again in the future (current Roadsters use a chassis from Lotus, the new roaster chassis will be their own design and manufacture).

As far as competition, there is none for the Model S. The 160 mile range has yet to be matched even in 'plans'. The closest category of competition is the Volt in the category of cost

Personally, I wish all the EV companies the best of success. Competition drives innovation and benefits consumers. Looking forward to Toyata's resurrected Rav4 EV especially!

 

Are there any reputable news sources left? They're either 'entertainment' or BS. Or both.

 

It is not being sold because Lotus is stopping production of that chassis. They could and as of now have plans to redesign into a new chassis, but are focusing their efforts on the S.

 

yawn.. they will all sell... anything else? maybe something solid? real news?... anything?

tesla is getting too big to fail... everyone loves the roadster.. it's an icon.. once the S model comes out, i'll expect to see several hundred cruising around los angeles.. if i live in the s.f. bay area.. i would still have the same outlook as these two spots are capitals for these sells

it's like saying.. why would anyone buy a 100k plus hybrid lexus when you can get the normal one for 40 grand less... well... there are a lot of them down here... all the odd cars that people pick at are all down here... i've even seen a lot of really expensive S class mercedes... now.. that's just for the badge in my opinion... at least with the tesla, it's not gas.. it's a badge plus a tool for very efficient flaunting.

now.... toyota is having tesla develop their electric vehicle components while tesla is allowed to use certain bodies of toyota vehicles.... i see prosper.. not failure...

the only people who fail are the uneducated who write shitty articles that lead people towards their uneducated opinions.... these people should be stripped of their jobs to inform people...

 

I'd originally seen it the other day from Tesla Hits Some Serious Potholes (F, GM, PC, TM, TSLA).

I'm blown away since supposedly the "news" of the Roadster being discontinued have been in their SEC filings for awhile, so

is pretty bizarre to me.

Fool.com is a financial site, so they couldn't be bothered to do some research before pulling the trigger on a story?

 

$54,400 ....really? No wonder your failing. The company that can provide a car with COMPARABLE distance of travel per fillup, to even the cheapest piece of crap auto made today, at a price non rich folk can afford, will be the company that will end up the winner!
EV's are in their infancy stages. To expect them to perform like their gas guzzeling brothers, is just inane! It's going to take years, until then a company, that while it produced a fantastic car, simply priced themselves out of buisness.
$57,400 for a base price model...... really?

Snap out of it!






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Who says they didn't? You seem to be assuming that their intent is to accurately inform the public, rather than to skew public opinion in the direction they want it to go. 'Information' and 'journalism' parted ways quite some time ago.

 

Tesla is capping reservations for the Model S Signature series at 1000. They will be gone in the near future. Tesla hasn't announced a price but it has to be way over $77400. ($57400 for base Model S + 2 battery upgrades ($20000) + options + special equipment).

They are also capping reservations for the production Model S at 5000. I estimate they are halfway there by listening to other more recent reservation holders.

I believe Tesla's customers will convert a very large percentage of those reservations into orders (sales).

For the sake of argument let's say it takes $10000 worth of batteries to get 70 miles worth of range. This means the base Model S has $22857 worth of batteries to get the 160 mile range. Any other car will also need $22857 worth of batteries to get that range. So, no, you won't find a cheap EV. People who are willing & able to drop that kind of money for a car aren't going to buy expensive batteries stuffed in a POS econobox. They are going to expect that car to be full of premium stuff.


Why is the Volt expensive? For its 40 mile range the batteries cost $5714. Either the price goes up or stuff gets stripped.

What will Toyota do with the plug in Prius? I suspect that car will be priced higher than the current high end of the line but won't have the premium options. Expect less storage & no spare.

 

The original concept was to two-fold.
A) prove that an electric car didn't have to be an 'overgrown golf cart'.
B) because they are a small start up company and didn't have the production capabilities, use the funds from the success of the Roadster to help build the production capabilities for, and design, the model S.

Yes, details change along the way. Toyota thought the Tesla battery system would never hold up. After the Roadster was on the road for about 3 years with no issues, they took a second look.
The Roadster has generated funds, AND interset and investments from other companies, individuals and the Gov. Allowing Tesla to design their Model S.

Exactly as planned, I don't see the issue here.
If Lotus had not ended it's chassis, who knows if Tesla would still be making them, but if you ask me, focusing on the model S is the right thing to do as the now have more production capabilities.

 

It's too bad, I was at their little hole in a wall in Seattle this week and got to drive the roadster.

MAN, that was a ride! When the salesman said his habit was to pull up to Porsche and other roadsters, he would leave them in the dust. After driving that car, I believe him.

It is too bad about the price tag, but that's how cool stuff like this gets into the mainstream. Eventually the prices will come down and get down to the masses. But as long as people will still be happy with what slowly comes out and settle for the next Barbie with a new hat, this will take a while.

 

Tesla itself has said it has over 5600 reservations for the Model S (see files.shareholder.com/downloads/ABEA-4CW8X0/1337857620x0x488699/8d92fbe4-2683-4232-b7b9-22b5f1716370/Q2%202011%20Shareholder%20Letter%20-%20Final.pdf). This closely matches the self-reporting tally on the tesla forums.

The Model S's base price $57K (especially if you include the fed tax rebate and some state refunds) is well within the ballpark of the BMW 5-series, which is the market Tesla is going after with this vehicle. The Model S's claimed 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds would make it quicker than the BMW 535i, for instance.

Tesla expects its margins to be at 25% for the Model S once production ramps up to the 20,000 per year rate.

 

I am very excited to see the tesla model s. As my wallet can begin to afford cars in this price range, I would much rather have a well equipped luxury hybrid then a BMW.. It gets better mileage then my prius, can seat more, fit more, look much nicer, more powerful and have cooler tech!! What more could u ask for?! I am just glad there will be an option out there for people like me who want a car like this.

 

Yeh, it's a hoot to watch overfed Bay Area software engineers cram themselves into a roadster.

I'll be it'd handle great if they took out all those batteries and replaced them with a conventional driveline. Oh, wait, Lotus already did...

For acceleration, though, YouTube the White Zombie. Electric drag racing: boring, but very cool when gas cars are whupped.

 

Tesla's business model was always to build 2,500 Roadsters, and use that as a springboard to the Model S, and thence to an affordable family sedan. 2,500 Roadsters were never going to finance the S. They are a proof of concept. Their success generates interest, both in the buying public and the investment community. (E.g. Toyota's deal, now that the Roadster has demonstrated the feasibility of the battery pack and drive train.)

Getting in and out of the Roadster is awkward, and really fat people don't even want to try. But that's no different from any other roadster. The pay-off for that awkward entry & exit is amazing handling and awe-inspiring acceleration. Passing, merging, and just getting in front of other folks. You would have to pay two to three times as much to get a gas sports car that even comes close, and the Tesla is still faster off the line.

The gasoline sports car is now obsolete. With a 245-mile range (or, say, 220 miles the way I drive) I can drive as far in my Roadster as I would ever want to drive a small sports car in a day. (For extended road trips I want a car with more conventional seats and more luggage space.) A gas sports car has a higher top speed, but I'd be scared to drive any car at even 3/4 of the Tesla's top speed.

Unless you're going to the track (The Tesla is not a race car) or you're going to spend more than 3 hours in a tiny car with less-than-optimal seats, the Tesla is the clear choice over sports cars costing three times as much.

The low-end Model S with 160 miles of range will not look favorable when comparing to a Lexus for road trips. And will be a lot more expensive than a Leaf for short commuting. But it will fill a previously empty niche and will be scooped up by folks who value the multitude of advantages of electricity over gasoline. And there will be plenty of people who can afford the 300-mile option, which will allow road trips up to half a day's driving.

Fool-dot-com is in my opinion well named. I've listened to their show, and looked at their web site, and once registered to download an article. I think you'd be a fool to take them seriously.

 

I will hopefully be in the "niche" for this car. I hope that in the next few years my income will grow exponentially. If it does.. or even if it doesn't I should be in the market for one of these..

I love this car more then any other car in the price range.. bmws/audis/lexus/mercs are a dime a dozen in this price range..