I suspect that the competition has recently heated up in the low end of
the EV market. It has evolved into the inevitable "race to the bottom."
I'm thinking that Elon has acknowledged the lack of profitability in
this market sector and has decided to gracefully bow out.
There was a news article in February that BYD launched their Qin Plus EV
Honor Edition car for $15k USD. It looks to be a four (or perhaps five
very slim) passenger sedan. $15k for a reasonably nice, basic, EV.
BYD has put a "shot across the bow" of Tesla with this vehicle.
Bill D.
On 4/8/2024 12:29 PM, Peri Hartman via EV wrote:
It could be simply that a low cost model isn't exciting enough for
Musk. He likes being a disruptor, proving that he can do something
where no one else has succeeded. If he follows through with a
robotaxi, that would be huge. He would be upsetting the taxi and ride
share markets and have them at his knees. I think he would thrive on
that.
Of course, all of that is predicated on full self driving. Who knows
where that stands...
Peri
<< Annoyed by leaf blowers ? https://quietcleanseattle.org/ >>
------ Original Message ------
From: "EV List Lackey via EV" <ev@lists.evdl.org>
To: "Electric Vehicle Discussion List" <ev@lists.evdl.org>
Cc: "EV List Lackey" <evp...@drmm.net>
Sent: 07-Apr-24 16:58:09
Subject: Re: [EVDL] EVLN: Rumor: Tesla abandons $25k EV?
Cleantechnica has an interesting take on this story. They point out
that,
if it's true, it's a deviation from Tesla's claimed "master plan" to
use the
profits from luxury vehicles to develop affordable mass-market EVs.
Who knows, maybe Musk thinks he's done enough for us poor folks with the
M3/Y, and he can scratch that goal off the list.
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/04/05/musk-no-tesla-model-2-for-you-maybe/
"The Elon Musk biography by Walter Isaacson details in exquisite
detail how
a group of Tesla engineers lobbied Elon Musk for years to give up his
fixation on robotaxis and get on with the business of making a less
expensive mass market car. [...]
"But according to a report by Reuters on April 5, 2024, Tesla has
canceled
the Model 2 and will resume its efforts to build robotaxis. So, here
we are
back at square one again. I should have written this as my April Fool´s
article, but no one would have believed it. It is too fanciful, too far
fetched to have any credibility, but it is true nonetheless according to
three company insiders and an internal memo seen by Reuters.
The decision represents an abandonment of a long standing goal that Elon
Musk has articulated several times in his "secret" master plans -
building
affordable electric cars for the masses. His first "master plan" in 2006
specifically called for manufacturing luxury models first, then using
the
profits to finance a 'low cost family car.' [...]
"[Editor´s note: Since Steve wrote this, we have seen a tweet from
Elon Musk
that a Tesla robotaxi reveal will be on August 8th."
-----
About that last paragraph: what Musk actually wrote on Twitter was
"Tesla
Robotaxi reveal on 8/8.". Why THAT date? "88" is a white supremacy
and Nazi
symbol. I hope the date is just a coincidence. Musk's trolling is
already
turning off potential Tesla customers.
David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey
To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my
offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt
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Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit
atrocities.
-- Voltaire
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