DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Tesla becomes #1 U.S. Auto Company

Musk is a visionary and not afraid to think outside the box, he is very similar to Steve Jobs. In the end he may be more of an influence on our society than Jobs if his companies are sustainable.

I wouldn't put anything past Elon Musk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk

I should also point out that on the tesla website they are saying all their models have a 14 day delivery...

https://www.tesla.com/new?model=ms

Jobs Jobs Jobs. It's a good problem to have.

Yep, immigrants creating jobs in the good ole U.S.A. Immigrants making Merica great! Who could have known this could happen?

You guys out here talking about jobs and stuff.

How about the fact that those joints are Ferrari killers?

Wouldn't be surprised if you could tune the P85D and get it into lambo territory

deleted - It's a good thread and I'd rather not turn it political

A person certain to go down as a 21st century legend.

unless ofcourse 20-30 chicks come out of nowhere and claim he sexually assaulted them.

Elon Musk.

I think he's been a little on the busy side to be fooling around with low-lifes.

Keep in mind he's not a politician or movie star.

He is an incredibly intelligent workaholic.

It sounds like his parents (especially dad) were highly intelligent, hard-working and adventurous.

Someone's got to be thinking movie about Musk.

If you want to risk your money on Tesla then go for it. If you don't then DON'T. As for me I want nothing to do with them. You not only have the problem of fueling your car but you have the problem of service on your car. Your car breaks down and you have nobody within 100 miles who can work on your car. Then you have nobody within 200 or 300 miles who MIGHT even have a part for your car. As for me and my family Tesla is one HUGE HELL NO.

What about solar options to help charge the battery while in use?

They now have shingles that are solar cells. The roof of a car is largely unseen. Why not make it a solar panel to help increase the range?

Also, I haven't studied it, how long does it take to recharge a battery that is low on juice? Is there a way to supercharge it and be done in 5 minutes or does it take 7 hours?

These are all important questions.

Any concerns with refueling or spare parts or anything else is already factored into Tesla's current market value.

GM, sure, you can say you want nothing to do with Tesla.

You can't speak for "your family" (not younger family anyway). This sure looks like it's coming down the pike.

It is a good thing. And all the "bugs" are certain to be worked out.

It's not an accident or a "rip-off" that Tesla is the number one car company in the US now. And it is headed higher.

I have never seen a Tesla in real life ever. Endangered species automaker more like it.

Eh, my uncle has one. But, it does seem he has one of a lot of things. Including 8 corvettes.

As of now, Tesla has this image of being only a rich persons car. I'm sure they are working on that image - but truthfully, that's how I see them.

And I haven't price them, haven't looked at them, etc.

As I said earlier, I see one maybe every 3-4 months.

I remember when the stainless steel DeLorean was the new thing, but you never saw many driving down the road.

To me, the "new" car companies who made it started out with the cars with a price point that most people could afford. Toyota, Datsun(now Nissan) were low priced autos. They didn't start high end and move to the affordable class.

I see Tesla's regularly. Weekly at least. I spend most of my day driving in and around the Portland area. So I see lots of vehicles of all classes. (There's a black Maserati with heavily tinted windows that I seem to cross paths with regularly in the downtown area.) Tesla's are sharp looking cars so they stand out fairly easily.

That might be considered a good thing. Musk has always asserted that his business model was to introduce the esoteric, then work his way down to the commercial.

Object being:

Step One: Introduce a high-end product that allows for immediate 'downscalability'

Step Two: Introduce a select line of high-end product that can immediately be manufactured downward on a fast track.

Step Three: Give The Public a product that is affordable, advanced, and primed to become mainstream

_________________


Honda did the same thing with their internal combustion cars, when they introduced their Acura NSX their 1990's NSX. A ton of under-hood and under-body tech that was developed for that $65K 'Supercar' (begun in the mid-80's) made its way into my production model 1993 Integra- the only Acura-badged auto that I could afford at the time. That Integra became one of the most 'hot-modded' 90's cars of all time, because its 'base integrals' were so sound.

Imagine that: Ferrari-type track performance for well under 100K at the time. The first production 'fly by wire' mid-engine technology prototype available for mass consumption in the US. Honda was doing 'bleeding-edge' stuff when I was still a 'Yuppie.'

______________________

At the most basic level, Elon Musk isn't doing anything new here: he's letting his brain trust inform his production team(s) what is possible (and affordable/profitable) for the near future. He's just doing it with 21st c. tech and style, yo.

To coin a phrase from Magnavox's ads (featuring John Cleese) from around the same time that Acura's original NSZ was being dropped:

"Smart.... very smart."

____________________

If demand outstrips supply, Elon Musk is in the catbird's seat with Tesla. He can drop the "Go order" on multiple manufacturing facilities, more 'gigaplants,' and a "Built for expansion" infrastructure that is already up and running.

That 'recharging infrastructure' idea of his was the absolute key to this initiative's success. Dude wasn't just making a new car- he was envisioning a new way for Americans to transport themselves from one place to another.... silently, efficiently- and doing so within the constraints of a 75-year old model.

In short: Musk has found a viable way to 'bridge the gap' between what we've always known... and what we might become, going forward. He is quite possibly the Henry Ford of the early 21st century.

In 2045-2050, everyday teens will laugh at how mundane and 'quaint' Tesla was in her early days... but the tech they take for granted couldn't have happened without his vision: efficient, engaging 'personal transport vehicles' that compete and surpass the "Olde Schoole Competition."

... but they won't understand how 'Earth-changing' this actually was, if they don't have a direct line of communication to their Grandparents.


This is some ground-breaking shiite, My Dawgs.

For those of you who have invested in this venture, I applaud you. You had enough vision to invest in this venture, while I aspire to become a commercial customer.

I really don't have a problem with making you guys/gals wealth, even if I'm 'left out of the profits.' I'll just be happy to own a high-performance car that screams me to my destination, without poisoning The Earth.

I want me a Tesla Model Three, if I can swing it. When it's safe. When I can drive where I want- any time I want. When the 'early bugs' have been "fumigated."

I want to be one of those ancient, gray-haired old folk who says:
"Yeah, young blood- I drove one of the earliest 21st century's 'Model T's.' What (tf) you driving?"

______________

To all of you who have stock in Tesla:
My hat's off to you.

I didn't get in on the ground floor- and I wish I had.
I'll be happy to 'buy in[ with the purchase of one of their cars... and add to your long-term investment returns.

Win/win for both of us, as I see it.

The 'Car Market' is truly changing- for the better, imho.







#OldGuyDrivingFast/Clean
#ZeroEmissions

Quite a few things are introduced in that manner. I bought a hand-held calculator when the price dropped to a little over $100. You can buy one now for $5 at the dollar store.

Same for digital watches. "Forty years ago this month, Hamilton introduced the world's first commercial electronic digital wristwatch. It retailed for the pricey sum of $2,100.(It would go for about $11,400 today.) By the end of the 1970s, however, the price of the average digital watch dropped drastically; they would regularly retail for under $10 a piece. And in the 1980s, they became a novelty. You could even find them in cereal boxes as cheap giveaways." pc mag

Every Tesla comes standard with adapters to plug into common household outlets. Charge up to 52 miles of range per hour right from home. Just plug in your Tesla like a mobile phone and you’ll be fully charged by morning.

Stay charged while you’re on the road using the Tesla Supercharger network. Placed along well traveled highways, a Supercharger provides up to 170 miles of range in as little as 30 minutes.

Charging Tesla

Range seems to be a problem for longer distance jaunts.

Got to take the good with the bad I suppose.

Sure I can speak for my kids since I know they have no interest in Tesla either.

Picked up 100 shares of Samsung yesterday, doing well.

Yea, if I could afford one as a third vehicle to just putz around town (heck, I could even drive it to work, we have charging stations in our parking deck) I'd really consider getting one.. but I can't, so I won't.. until it gets to the point that it's not terribly inconvenient to take it out of town.

Tesla's Musk tells disgruntled shareholders: Buy Ford

A group of Tesla investors has urged the luxury electric car maker to add two new independent directors to its board, without ties to Chief Executive Elon Musk, to "provide a critical check on possible dysfunctional group dynamics."

A defiant Musk took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to suggest the investors buy stock in Ford Motor instead. The Ford family controls the Detroit automaker through two classes of stock.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/13/teslas-musk-tells-disgruntled-shareholders-buy-ford.html

quote above by 40:

"Picked up 100 shares of Samsung yesterday,"

Wait a second, looks like Samsung common stock is selling at $1,500/share today.

Where'd you get that kinda ching?

Did I ever tell you how smart you are and how much I like you?

So Elon Musk essentially just told his shareholders to go root for the Buffalo Bills?

Guess I should have explained I sold one of my hundred shares of Berkshire Hathaway to buy it.

You let me know when your like turns to love though.

"Guess I should have explained I sold one of my hundred shares of Berkshire Hathaway to buy it"

Ooohhhhh....

Well that's different.

(No it isn't.)

I suppose you picked up the Berkshire Hathaway by saving bottles and cans.

40 headed to his stockbroker:

I know you work for a dealership, so your feelings are kind of akin to 'Peens about McDonalds. I'm not going to go into servicing model as we've discussed this long ago and we'll likely not agree on it. They have mobile technicians for those that are not in a city with a service center. I love that they are turning the dealership model on its head personally.

Hell, I own a car that doesn't have a part on the same continent sometimes. It still gets fixed. Maybe a day or two. I get a loaner in that case, which is exactly what happens with Tesla as well.

People that own Tesla now are early adopters. Once the Model 3 comes out is when we will really see where Tesla is going when it isn't purely a luxury brand.

The difference is that Toyota, Datsun, etc were just putting their own spin on it and remanufacturing existing technology... the Tesla is very much a whole new technology that just looks like a traditional car from the outside.

So much like the plasma TV was "just a tv" it was also $5,000 not too long ago because everything behind the screen was different...

I see at least one on my commute daily, and there is a dealership less than 5 minutes from my office. There are lots of them on the road up here.

I see at least 1 per day as well, sometimes more. In fact I think I see as many or more of them than my car (Audi A8). They are far from dying - their death sentence, or close to it, will be the Model 3 failing. That said, I totally agree their valuation is way high and the stock could crash at any time - it's a high risk/high reward scenario. I also on Ford stock and it has been very, very stagnant - so much so that I should just sell it.

Is it the same one every day?

I see them fairly regularly but it's not like I look for them.. I could drive right past one and not even know it.

Even if Tesla busts and disappears, somebody will pick up the tremendous advancements they have made in electric vehicles and run with it.

On a different note, from something I saw earlier about Elon Musk having other auto people thrust on him by his board.. it's not uncommon for somebody like Musk, who is a visionary, a forward thinking dude, to not have the skill set to run the manufacturing/marketing/distribution part of the corporation the way a corporation should be run.. that's not his thing.

quote above by DC:

" it's not uncommon for somebody like Musk, who is a visionary, a forward thinking dude, to not have the skill set to run the manufacturing/marketing/distribution part of the corporation the way a corporation should be run.. that's not his thing."

Good point. This reminds me of several self-made wealthy NFL owners who are geniuses and think they can run an NFL franchise (for example Dan Snyder, Art Modell) but run their teams into the ground.

The key is having the judgement to find people who can manage these sectors of your business.

But Tesla is so beyond the initial "growth" phase.

It's already the most valuable U.S. car company. That's huge.

He must have quite a top tier management team.

I don't know that much about the corporate culture of Tesla.. in fact I don't know anything about it except the name Elon Musk... but people are investing in the concept and the vision of , not the corporate culture..

If I had to guess, pure speculation, I would guess that the bulk of investors in Tesla are very wealthy folks who are willing to take the risk that Tesla is the automotive version of Apple (because some electric car company, eventually, is going to be that company)... and then idealists/environmentalists who don't care about the corporate culture, they are just investing glamour of it all...

j/c

I'm chuckling at a flashback.

Several years ago, I started a thread that featured the original Tesla roadster when it was new. Does anyone else remember that thread?

Well... I just found it. It's from 2008.
I haven't even read the posts. As soon as I found it, I raced back here to link it to this thread. Trust me... I'm going back immediately after I drop this post!

I can't wait to read where we all were 8 years ago. It will almost be like listening to a recording of ourselves at a party almost a decade ago.

Seeya there, Hounds.

Hey! Great post. Very interesting.

By the way, I wonder what the humongous oil companies are thinking.

(if you're a conspiracy theorist, you know the oil companies squashed solar and electrical power technology for cars 50 years ago)



Have a Good Friday everybody.

Was that before or after the auto industry squashed the Tucker Sedan in 1948?

Never been much of a day trader. I don't think I have held a stock under 1 year. The vast vast majority I have held 10 years or more.

To me there is a differnce between investing in a company and betting they will grow over gambling on the daily trends of the market.

Like I said. I am happy with my position, so most of my money is in income vehicles, cash, and gold coins as a buffer in the event the stuff hits the fan.. I still hold a sizeable chunk of McDonands stock and just over 1000 shares of Exxon.

I am down to maybe 20% invested in stocks. A hedge on inflation, but I don't have another 25 investing window to see big growth. At least I probably don't.


If you do it right, you reach a point where gaining position isn't as important as not losing position


This will make sense some day.

https://www.axios.com/elon-musk-23833714...ampaign=organic



Elon finally released a concept for his underground transportation system.

Clem, my post on page 2 back then was amazing!