Tesla Reality Check?

[craigh]

Looks like they're moving past all the SolarCity issues.
Also interesting to see an upward trend with all the Waymo news going around.

http://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/12...lf-driving-chrysler-pacifica-hybrid-minivans/

 

[joe.pistell]

Apple should buy Tesla.
This is not 'rocket science'

The logic flow:

• Apple Smartphone cycle has run its course.
• Mobility as a Service (MAAS) is in its 1st inning.
• Solar could be approaching a tipping point*
• Apple has $290 billion in cash.
• Tesla's market cap is $48 billion
• Apple buys Tesla and still has $240 billion in the bank
• Tesla product demographics match Apple's (a consumer cultural fit)
• Apple gets Rocket Ships, Solar, a MAAS platform and a visionary leader (Musk) who can leverage lots of cash to take Apple & Musk into the next century.

That was fun. I'm still short Tesla



*example, see news on Lockheed Martin's new flow battery

 

[craigh]

Tesla certainly needs some help and Apple would be a great company to get them back on track and let Musk do what Musk does best.

That said, Apple's lack of Automotive experience might as much of a detriment as an asset.

http://autoweek.com/article/green-c...eveals-what-ev-gets-right-and-where-automaker

The takeaway, according to Munro? “Anybody that’s in the car industry that ignores (the Model 3) is doing it at their own peril.” At the same time, however, Tesla ignores the things the existing automotive industry gets right at its own peril.

But when it comes to design and build quality of the non-silicon-based stuff -- the “dinosaur technology,” as Munro puts it -- Tesla still struggles. Trouble with panel gaps and other fit-and-finish issues are common knowledge at this point. But the problems go deeper than that: the very design of certain parts of the car, and the way components work together, betray a serious lack of experience with automotive engineering.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/312570

The report said that significant injuries at Tesla factories were 31 percent higher than the rest of the car industry in 2016, and 83 percent higher when limited to serious injuries.

 

[craigh]

Tesla settles a lawsuit, likely to avoid going into discovery as that involves a whole mess of things.
This comes after they already agreed to compensate owners who purchased AutoPilot and did not get what was promised.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social

Meanwhile, one of the brightest minds of our generation is on Twitter fighting the great war on Fake News.

 

[Alexander Lau]

As Tesla’s share price falls, it becomes an inviting takeover target
https://www.economist.com/business/...-falls-it-becomes-an-inviting-takeover-target

 

[Alexander Lau]

Nearly a quarter of Tesla’s Model 3 reservation deposits in the U.S. have supposedly been refunded
https://www.recode.net/2018/6/4/174...sits-in-the-u-s-have-supposedly-been-refunded

 

[Alexander Lau]

Market Shocked After Musk Announces Intention To Take Tesla Private Using Tweet
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-07/tesla-jumps-saudis-reveal-2-billion-stake

The House of Saud goes all in on electric? Could be they just have too much money laying around...

 

[craigh]

Market Shocked After Musk Announces Intention To Take Tesla Private Using Tweet
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-07/tesla-jumps-saudis-reveal-2-billion-stake

The House of Saud goes all in on electric? Could be they just have too much money laying around...

This whole story is such a mess and potentially includes some illegal disclosures the SEC should be investigating.
They halted trading on TSLA today due to all the Tweets Elon put out (hours after they should have closed trading)



Looks like Saudi took a 3-5% stake in the company (reportedly) and with this hype there's some serious legal concerns.

 

[TeddyJTurner]

taking private is good IMO! Can focus more on long term growth strategies vs quarterly outlook. Can't hate Elon even if you think it's threat to dealership. Tons of people build successful companies, but none at this scale and with this impact. PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla! Crazy.

 

[jon.berna]

Nearly a quarter of Tesla’s Model 3 reservation deposits in the U.S. have supposedly been refunded
https://www.recode.net/2018/6/4/174...sits-in-the-u-s-have-supposedly-been-refunded

Still pretty cool to pre-sell that many cars. I think 75% retention is pretty good when you consider the gap in time from April 2016 when 60% of them were made to now. Think about that as a purchase signal to build marketing intelligence off of. With 500k reservations, that's way more than enough to build personas, audiences etc for when its time to deploy the campaigns.

I also would bet that the people that asked for a refund will re-convert later and that Tesla will have a plan to earn them back when/if production > demand. I would.