Tesla asks early adopters to cough up more cash Tesla clearly thought things had gone just a little too well for it at the Detroit Motor Show and so has decided to shoot itself in the foot by increasing a raft of accessory and option prices on the Roadster for buyers who thought they had locked in their options. First off, the previously included-in-the-price high-power …
they should let buyers have all those freebies and continue to lose money. All that lovely goverment handout money is rightfully due to the new owners after all. Just because they were prepared to pay the full whack doesn't mean that they should forego any of the refund, thus allowing Tesla to survive long enough to sell to other people (and perhaps provide parts and service).
You've got to admit that Tesla is pretty ballsy - launching a new car in the midst of a depression. And while this pricing "upgrade" may seem like cruel and unusual punishment for their early customers, it most likely reflects the reality of needing to post an early cash flow success in order to be able to go to credit markets for on-going financing. After all, if the banks aren't prepared to lend to GM, Ford or Chrysler (or Toyota, Nissan and Honda for that matter) why should they consider Tesla to be a good risk?
The brilliance in Tesla's move is that it has kept the price "revenue neutral" for its customers. Yes, they "lose" the US$7500 tax credit, but the net-net is pretty much a zero impact. And, as Steve notes in the first post, being able to build and inventory parts is as much a part of the game as selling the car.
Let's hope that Musk keeps his snoot out of the Marching Powder...unlike some other car entrepreneurs we can name...
- Will these floor mats massage your feet?
- Are they made of solid gold? Leather? Endangered species fur?
- If you rub them with your feet, will the static discharge help recharge the batteries?
- Do they have embedded LCD screens linked to undercarriage cameras filming the ground, so you have the impression you are floating inches above it (or have the impression the floor was torn off?), adding to the impression of the vehicle is roomier, or that you are floating on thin air?
Then, there is NO WAY floor mats will cost 150 quid / bucks / whatever.
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