Cont: Musk, SpaceX and future of Tesla II

Jack by the hedge said:
I'm torn between automatically thinking the worst of Musk but also wondering what was expected from a $70k truck pared down to $40k.
If they were hoping for a 2WD copy which people wouldn't notice was the cheaper one then that's unrealistic. Car makers need to avoid their cheaper models harming sales of their expensive ones.
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It would be ok if it was $40k, but it isn't. The pared down version with all the missing features is $70k.

Tesla launches new Cybertruck RWD for $70,000, removes tons of cool features

Tesla has officially launched a new version of the Cybertruck RWD for $70,000 in the US and Mexico. It’s more...
electrek.co electrek.co
 
Right. I misunderstood. This is a $70k version of an $80k truck?

At that price it looks like a de-contented version designed solely for a small number of people irrationally desperate to own a new one, but who just cannot borrow that last $10k. But its main job is to make the regular model look better.
 
Jack by the hedge said:
Right. I misunderstood. This is a $70k version of an $80k truck?

At that price it looks like a de-contented version designed solely for a small number of people irrationally desperate to own a new one, but who just cannot borrow that last $10k.
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Well, demand vs price can traditionally be plotted on a curve. So, any decrease in price should spur some additional sales. There will be some market for those wanting to “look cool” and who just want a runabout for errands and maybe a highway cruiser.

If we were still in the market, we’d opt for the AWD model and consider it $10k well spent. Add in the power outlets, improved suspension and the other non-cosmetic items and $10k additional is a bargain. But we’re not, and going by the abysmal take rate for the supposed million reservation holders, we’re far from alone.
 
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dudalb said:
Tesla's real problem is they never adjusted well to having real competition in the EV market,for a long time the term EV and Tesla were pretty much the same, that is no longer the case. They now have to compete for EV customers, and they have never really come to grips with that.
BTW the parallels between Musk and Henry Ford are becoming stronger by the day. FOrd also, in the tweens of the last century, had real problems
when the Model T Ford got real competion in the popular priced auto market. Tye competitiors brought out better cars, but Ford refused to amdit the Model T's day were done, and he almost went bankrupt.
And FOrd also became toxic though his antics and thrist for personal publicity.
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And they both hate the jews why did you leave that part out about them?
 
Not sure if this is the right thread, but I found a story about Tesla owners with buyer's remorse. The organization will pay for removing Tesla indications on your car.

Like many Seattleites, she’s deeply conflicted about owning the car: Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s full-throated support of Donald Trump, recent moves to downsize the federal government, and apparent Nazi gestures and jokes haven’t gone over well in this part of Washington state.
From replacing the brand's logos with others to getting rid of the vehicles altogether, we heard from dozens of local drivers about how they're navigating the politics of Tesla ownership in 2025.
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https://www.kuow.org/stories/tesla-town-seattle-grapples-with-elon-musk-in-trump-s-orbit


It's true that cars devalue quickly, maybe this one more than others.
 
Rachel Maddow’s show last night started with an extended segment on Tesla, including free rebranding and a funny toll-free number one can call if you have “Tesla regret”. 866-EFF-MUSK (866-333-6875). I tried it and it works, including the options!

Complete segment here:
 
On the topic of Musk and kids...

Oh baby, Musk's trying to build a breeding cult 'before the apocalypse'

The Wall Street Journal reports that Musk has had at least 14 children with four different women, and multiple sources told the outlet that his real number of kids is likely “much higher” than has been publicly revealed.
In private texts with one of the mothers of those children, Ashley St. Clair, Musk referred to the children as his “legion,” the same terminology used by the Roman Empire for their elite military units.

“To reach legion-level before the apocalypse, we will need to use surrogates,” Musk wrote in a text while discussing his obsession to create more babies.
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dirtywick said:
electrek.co

Elon Musk shut down internal Tesla analysis that showed Robotaxi would lose money

According to a credible new report, Elon Musk has reportedly shut down an internal analysis from Tesla executives that showed...
electrek.co electrek.co

musk terminates internal data that robo taxi is a money loser
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Well, he squashed an internal analysis but, reading the story, I would argue that it seems to be based on assumptions that Musk himself pulled out of his arse. i.e. the analysis is based on garbage.

They seem to be using quite an interesting business model: you buy a robotaxi off Tesla and then you pay them a fee for each passenger transported over its lifetime. That's the sort of model I would say ◊◊◊◊ off to.
 
dirtywick said:
lol what is going on in the world
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In Musk's world, nobody knows.

There's no oversight on his minions, and they're deleting records of what they're doing as they go.* They could be sending all kinds of sensitive information to insecure sites by insecure methods or selling literally all US government data to the Chinese navy for all anyone knows.

* (In the interest of balance I should say that no, I do not have evidence that it's true that they have no oversight, nor can a prove that they are covering their tracks to make an audit of their work impossible, but if anyone can point to any reassurance that this is hyperbole and is not the reality then I would be very happy to see it.)
 
Jack by the hedge said:
In Musk's world, nobody knows.

There's no oversight on his minions, and they're deleting records of what they're doing as they go.* They could be sending all kinds of sensitive information to insecure sites by insecure methods or selling literally all US government data to the Chinese navy for all anyone knows.

* (In the interest of balance I should say that no, I do not have evidence that it's true that they have no oversight, nor can a prove that they are covering their tracks to make an audit of their work impossible, but if anyone can point to any reassurance that this is hyperbole and is not the reality then I would be very happy to see it.)
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and the whole time he’s trying to set up some kind of musk breeding program. what a ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ psycho
 
www.yahoo.com

Elon Musk Lost It on a Call With the Government After Autopilot Killed a Tesla Driver

In March 2018, Tesla Model X owner Walter Huang died after his vehicle crashed into a concrete highway median at 71 mph — while its Autopilot driver assistance software was turned on. The entire front of the vehicle was ripped off, sending the SUV spinning. Huan was pronounced dead hours after...
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com

As detailed in a newly published excerpt of Washington Post tech reporter Faiz Siddiqui's book titled "Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk," set to be released on April 22, Musk hung up on the NTSB in pure rage.​
​
Former NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt told Siddiqui that Musk had "fumed, protested, threatened to sue, and abruptly exited the conversation when safety investigators refused to bend to his will."​
​
 
Darat said:
I don’t know the site it just popped up in my news feed, don’t know if it is generally a reliable site.
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I've seen the site around too and have found mixed reviews on it. I can say some of its headlines are clickbait, for sure, but then again everyone has those nowadays.
 
Darat said:
www.unilad.com

Elon Musk's Tesla forced to fix one mistake in 4,000,000 vehicles that could end up costing $10,000,000,000

Elon Musk was forced to admit that Telsa vehicles' computers may not be powerful enough to do everything they say they can
www.unilad.com www.unilad.com

I don’t know the site it just popped up in my news feed, don’t know if it is generally a reliable site.
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Click-bait. Article refers to a 'ruling' but doesn't even say which country the ruling happened in. It links to International Business Times which also refers to 'a ruling' with no detail whatsoever, which then links to Electrek, presumably the primary source, but all that's there is an opinion piece.
 
dirtywick said:

in a surprisingly out of character move, tesla delays launch of cheaper model
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If this was pretty much any other company this announcement, on top of falling sales well short of expectations, would have resulted in a severe correction in share price and pressure on board members from major shareholders.

Somehow the market still has trust in Musk despite all the broken promises over the past decade.
 
Tesla speeds up odometers to avoid warranty repairs, U.S. lawsuit claims

Tesla faces a proposed class action claiming it speeds up odometers on its electric vehicles so they fall out of warranty faster, saving Elon Musk’s company from having to pay for repairs.
The plaintiff Nyree Hinton alleged that Tesla odometer readings reflect energy consumption, driver behavior and “predictive algorithms” rather than actual mileage driven.

 
From the link

He said the odometer on the 2020 Model Y he bought in December 2022 with 36,772 miles on the clock ran at least 15% fast, based on his other vehicles and driving history, and for a while said he drove 72 miles a day when at most he drove 20.

Hinton, a Los Angeles resident, said this caused his 50,000-mile basic warranty to expire well ahead of schedule, leaving him with a $10,000 suspension repair bill that he thought Tesla should cover.
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A look at the software should confirm it if it's true.
 
what in the suspension costs $10k after 50k miles

well it's tesla, poor quality controls and a pattern of fraud are the default
 
Shrinker said:
Click-bait. Article refers to a 'ruling' but doesn't even say which country the ruling happened in. It links to International Business Times which also refers to 'a ruling' with no detail whatsoever, which then links to Electrek, presumably the primary source, but all that's there is an opinion piece.
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It's reported in several other places, notably MSN. However, none of them mention which court or which judge.

I think the source of the story is this:

electrek.co

Tesla (TSLA) has to replace computer in ~4 million cars or compensate their owners

Tesla (TSLA) has to replace the ‘self-driving’ computer inside about 4 million vehicles or likely compensate the owners of those...
electrek.co electrek.co

The Electrk story doesn't mention a new court case, only one in 2022 which resulted in compensation for one Tesla owner. The tenor of the Electrek story is that, if there were a court case, Tesla would likely lose, not that there has been one.
 
Andy_Ross said:
Tesla speeds up odometers to avoid warranty repairs, U.S. lawsuit claims

Tesla faces a proposed class action claiming it speeds up odometers on its electric vehicles so they fall out of warranty faster, saving Elon Musk’s company from having to pay for repairs.
The plaintiff Nyree Hinton alleged that Tesla odometer readings reflect energy consumption, driver behavior and “predictive algorithms” rather than actual mileage driven.

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If true this has some rather interesting implications. "Standard mileage deductions" documented via odometer readings are a thing. Better fire more IRS agents, Elon!
 
Myriad said:
If true this has some rather interesting implications. "Standard mileage deductions" documented via odometer readings are a thing. Better fire more IRS agents, Elon!
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It could, if true, be a massive problem for Tesla. Things like mile per charge would be off, which would lead to false advertising allegations.

As mentioned, I'm not sure if there's much to back it up. I feel like someone else would have caught it by now and the few articles I've read haven't really given me much confidence that this is a highly scientific breakdown. It should be extremely easy to debunk or confirm. Just put it on one of those rollers and let it go for an hour. Compare actual mileage to odometer reading and you should have it.
 
www.cnbc.com

Tesla reports 20% drop in auto revenue as first-quarter results miss Wall Street estimates

Tesla's first-quarter earnings report lands as investors reckon with a steep slide in the company's stock price.
www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com

earnings report. energy and services were up quite a bit, but automotive revenue dropped roughly $6b, or about 1/3. energy credits were somehow a significant source of income despite poor sales as well. missed estimates

and boy if they’re cooking the books which i suspect, ouch.
 
dirtywick said:
www.cnbc.com

Tesla reports 20% drop in auto revenue as first-quarter results miss Wall Street estimates

Tesla's first-quarter earnings report lands as investors reckon with a steep slide in the company's stock price.
www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com

earnings report. energy and services were up quite a bit, but automotive revenue dropped roughly $6b, or about 1/3. energy credits were somehow a significant source of income despite poor sales as well. missed estimates

and boy if they’re cooking the books which i suspect, ouch.
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They might as well cook the books, there's no oversight anymore. Who's going to stop them?
 
i think when the tech bubble bursts the reality of the balance sheet will eventually stop them

a lot of pensions and 401ks will get wiped in the process though.
 
dirtywick said:
i think when the tech bubble bursts the reality of the balance sheet will eventually stop them

a lot of pensions and 401ks will get wiped in the process though.
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Not debating the idea of a tech bubble, just wondering which parts you're including. I think there will be a bubble burst in AI things (not so much as to kill the industry, but similar to late 90's bubble burst where everyone thought anything related to the internet was gold.).
 
gabeygoat said:
Not debating the idea of a tech bubble, just wondering which parts you're including. I think there will be a bubble burst in AI things (not so much as to kill the industry, but similar to late 90's bubble burst where everyone thought anything related to the internet was gold.).
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ai is absolutely included and the primary driver of the bubble. and i can only hope it kills the industry. i personally think it’s junk tech and a dead end.

regardless, a huge part of the big tech companies is dependent on basically delivering an advertising platform crammed full of ai. too many others are operate at a loss until the competition is choked out and then deliver a sub par product imo.

there’s a number of other factors as well in the world, like an ongoing trade war causing people to divest from us markets that will be especially disruptive to tech as well.

finally, many of their valuations right now is based on future growth that really isn’t possible to achieve.
 
Your car will earn money for you while you do something else apparently

Elon Musk
@elonmusk
Your Tesla car will earn you money

Quote
DogeDesigner
@cb_doge
Tesla owners will have the ability to turn their cars into robotaxis. Technically, your car will earn money for you.
It's like Uber, but the car drives itself.
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