Tesla Sales Beating MB, BMW & Audi

A mainstream car has been their goal since the Roadster.

A comment by a dealer to one of these anti-Tesla articles went something along these lines: The Franchise laws were written to protect existing franchise and independent dealers from manufacturer run ones. There isn't such a network for Tesla to threaten, and if they choose not go with franchise dealers, it would be anti-capitolistic to stop them.

 

Wow, just awesome!

North Carolina Wants To Make It Illegal For Tesla To E-Mail Customers

 

It is funnier than that. The wording per the article, bans any automaker from "using a computer or other communication facilities..." to sell or lease...

'Other communication facilities'??
Hmmm, well that fits texts, email, phone calls, heck even letters.

 

North Carolina Wants to Ban Tesla... And Only Tesla

 

^ Nor should you be able to contact Tesla if you are a N.C. resident in any way. You can't email them. You can't call them, you can't text them, you can't order online, you can't view print ads in N.C. That's what they want. A big wall around the state where no Tesla anything can get in. Odds are that they'll soon ban the very word "Tesla."

 

2017 is a long wait

 

The Model S got a 99 out 100 from consumer reports, I am not surprised at all by this. Unfortunately, I cannot fork up $100,000 for a Model S... nor can I wait until 2017, looks like the Chevy Spark Ev is looking mighty nice!

 

via PC World

 

19/08/2013
Tesla Model S Outperforms Mercedes-Benz S500 and BMW 750Li in German Test Drive Review

"OLD FOR NEW WORLD"

“Already tested and reviewed, the Tesla Model S has delivered a brilliant idea. The Americans aim with the stylish electric car quite openly to the luxury class of Mercedes and BMW. Do the German premiummanufacturers fear the upstart seriously or they can fend off the attack easily?”

Source: Auto Zeitung

Akerson: Cadillac will take on Tesla | The Detroit News

 

Mercedes helped get tesla here, providing needed investment and contract work when Tesla was having financial trouble. Mercedes is partnering with Tesla, not fearful of them. If Tesla succeeds, mercedes stands to make a lot of money too.

BMW is pouring a lot of money into competing with tesla, but with phevs not bevs. We should see how well this is working when people get their hands on the i3 and i8. IMHO BMW has a lot more to learn, but they are watching tesla closely. BMW is a threat to tesla, as the 3 series dominates the segment blue star is going after. If tesla is very successful here, it will hurt bmw.

 

GM Studies Tesla Batteries for Longer Ranges | The Electric Generation

 

Don't forget that Toyota has poured a ton of money into Tesla as well! Both Toyota and Mercedes Benz both have received Tesla engineering for that money, for the Electric Smart car and the RAV4 EV. The real worry should be what will these two giants do to Tesla in the future. Mercedes Benz needs to protect its market share as well as Toyota does with Lexus brand.

 

Tesla has long way to reach 1/10 of Mercedes Benz or BMW production capabilities.... maybe even a decade from now. Right now it is creating a market for niche EV luxury cars that all these other players can jump in easily by then. So I am not so sure that they see Tesla as a threat really - neither of those players would invest and help if so.

 

I look forward to when more EVs make it to market since it is so "easy" to do. Until then, I am sure Tesla will be happy to provide these luxury EVs tens of thousands of people are buying.

 

There was a day when GM helped smaller Asian companies, now these companies are taking GM market share, Tesla is a threat!

 

Toyota poured nothing of value, to them, into Tesla.
GM bailed on NUMMI and it was a money pit for Toyota.
Getting some Tesla stock for it was a great deal for Toyota.

Don't get me wrong, it was a huge help for Tesla.
It is just that it was inconsequential for Toyota.

 

$50 million stock purchase by Toyota seems like value to me, and Elon Musk really needed the funds at that time. The NUMMI plant had nothing to do with the investment. Toyota could have keep the plant to build the Prius or some other model, I don't believe they lost any sleep on NUMMI.

 

It was during the IPO, it likely boosted it a bit, and Tesla issued an additional 2 million shares ($34M because of it). A bigger help at IPO was toyota contracting with tesla on the rav4. With or without toyota tesla was set to IPO. Mercedes was instrumental to get them there. Toyota had very little risk on the investment, as its participation guaranteed a bump on the ipo.
Tesla IPO Raises $226.1M, Stock Surges 41 Percent | Autopia | Wired.com
Toyota ended up making 41% the day the money was invested. Its the kind of sweatheart deal only insiders can typically get.

When Toyota anounced how few RAV4 BEVs they were trying to sell, and the price, tesla's stock dropped. Mercedes on the other hand keeps talking up tesla, and is heavily promoting BEV cars, and Tesla's help in their strategy.

NUMMI may have been another part of Tesla paying toyota back. It was a favor to toyota for helping the IPO. And no it was not when tesla was running out of money, it was when tesla was getting plenty of money and helped it get more money for less stock. Tesla paid toyota $42M for NUMMI, while Toyota bought $50M worth of stock at the pre IPO stock. This was not a cash infusion. It was a good deal for both companies.

 

Paying Toyota back? NUMMI was purchased by Tesla, it was a sale, not a payback or loan. The stock purchase by Toyota came at a time that Tesla was low on funds, Mercedes was not investing any additional funds after Tesla created the Electric Smart Car for them. Without Toyota, who knows were Tesla would be today.