1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Featured Tesla Model X Not Nearly As Successful As It Should’ve Been

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Tideland Prius, Jun 6, 2017.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Tesla Model X Not Nearly As Successful As It Should've Been
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    'musk has admitted his mistakes'. would losing the falcon doors go too far, or is all the cost in r&d? still, maybe it's the audience, who drives luxury suv's and why would they want to go electric? are model s sales based more on performance than any other feature?
     
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Well it's cheaper for one and it can still carry 5+2 if you need it. The frunk helps with cargo carrying capacity.
     
    Trollbait likes this.
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    apparently, none of those attributes seems to be attracting enough buyers.
    i'm thinking wealthy soccer moms, model x, land rover, audi, which will impress my friends more?
     
    mrbigh likes this.
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    You would think a Model X would.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    maybe not outside the ev world?
     
  7. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2012
    3,626
    1,623
    0
    Location:
    Sanford, NC
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    Limited
    Wasn't the X capacity constrained for a long while due to its complexity. And there is only so much management and engineering talent and much of that was diverted to a new factory, new way of making cars and a new model so when the problems were realized the fixes were slow in coming.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    they didn't mention production numbers in the article as one of the problems, but maybe you're right. they do mention design problems slowing introduction. perhaps i'm reading it wrong.
     
  9. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2012
    5,084
    1,782
    1
    Location:
    Nebraska
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    Musk has definitely admitted they made it too complicated. I think many of those issues have been ironed out and aren't as big of deal moving forward. But in retrospect it definitely cost the company time.
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    so the question is; is supply being outstripped by demand? if that's the case, the article is all wrong. the headline should be; 'tesla can't keep up with demand for model x'. and the report should site the reasons why.
     
    Trollbait likes this.
  11. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2012
    5,084
    1,782
    1
    Location:
    Nebraska
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    I think demand is a little lower than for the S because of price and flashiness of the wing doors. There is definitely a segment that want to be flashy. But I think most buyers of Tesla's aren't buying it for its flashiness.
     
    bisco likes this.
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    do you think anyone would be miffed if the wings came off?
     
  13. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2012
    5,084
    1,782
    1
    Location:
    Nebraska
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    Some for sure. Only reason it seems flashy is because you never see it on many cars. From a functionality standpoint you can make a good argument for them, same with sliding doors for that matter.
     
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i'm just wondering if they could drop the price significantly, or if most of the cost is in r&d.
     
  15. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2016
    11,696
    11,317
    0
    Location:
    Central Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Only if they function reliably. I believe that gullwing door issues plagued the Canadian built Bricklin SV-1.

    [​IMG]
     
    #15 Prodigyplace, Jun 7, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2017
  16. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2008
    8,245
    1,202
    0
    Location:
    NorCal
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I think the falcon wing doors were a bad call. Kinda creepy, those heavy doors over your head. Look out if they were to fail and fall down.

    Bro in law was here two months ago. Said he didn't like looks of Model X.

    Another note. I'm hoping an alternative car comes around with about all I'm looking for.

    ..... still looking. Meanwhile getting 24 MPG in the Accord, but it's better than complaining about Prius.
     
  17. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,593
    11,212
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Argument against them is that they hinder roof rack use. Yes, an efficiency sucker, but so is towing a one ton plus trailer. No roof rack is more of a deal to shoppers of an SUV than to car ones.

    Without looking into it, there is a torsion beam that acts as a counter force to the door's weight, as there was in gull wing doors of the past. Without it, the motor to open door would have to be more powerful, and thus weight and cost more.
     
    cycledrum likes this.
  18. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,525
    4,057
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    The mistakes are not anything to do with the vehicle today. Its how it got here. Here are the mistakes as analysts have said.

    1) Too many things tried at once. This increased R&D spending and worse delayed the vehicle, and tied up people. This caused extra warranty expense, delay of the model 3, and the need to go raise more capital. Falcon doors were the major visible part. These could have been added on in 2020, and were not needed for launch.

    2) Compromises were made to share a platform with the model S. Companies like toyota and ford do this as a cost saving measure, but sell many more vehicles, and have many more engineers and manufacturing staff, to make the compromises work. I don't think tesla realized the cost savings. They could have clean sheeted it, just getting cost savings from sharing drivetrain and battery. SUV sharing these with the model 3 is getting a clean sheet approach.

    Really all of the mistakes with the model X are minor compared to big auto company mistakes. Then again now tesla is more valuable than gm. You expect management to admit and fix their mistakes, instead of spinning them and covering them up, like a typical old line auto maker.
     
    3PriusMike, bwilson4web and bisco like this.
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    that's how i read it as well. but the question remains, why aren't they selling more, error in market analysis?
     
  20. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,525
    4,057
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    It is a very expensive SUV, that as an SUV may not be as good as the other luxury SUVs. Not enough people want an electric SUV with falcon doors to meet high expectations. To me, its exceeding my personal expectations of sales. Then again I have little remaining of my initial tesla stock, because I think the expectations are getting really overblown. OK should have staid in longer, but eventually reality will come in, or the company will do something new and great (apples big change was the iphone)

    This is from the latest shareholder meeting, where musk seems to be saying if they clean sheeted it, it would have been better and sold better. We already know things like the falcon door and other innovations were more expensive than doing a SUV platform.
     
    bisco likes this.