You will no longer be able to test drive a Tesla, including the new $35,000 Model 3 that is supposed to appeal to the middle-class masses. Tesla is planning on selling strictly e-tail.
There was a lot of speculation about what Tesla CEO Elon Musk would announce this week after he tweeted that some big news was coming.
But nobody expected Tesla to kill off its physical retail locations.
The top news was the arrival of the long-awaited $35,000 Model 3, the true mass-market vehicle that Tesla promised in 2016 but hasn’t been able to deliver until now.
Arguably, the bigger news was that Tesla is going to an online-only (or mostly) sales model.
“You can now buy a Tesla in North America via your phone in about one minute, and that capability will soon be extended worldwide,” the carmaker said in a statement.
“Shifting all sales online, combined with other ongoing cost efficiencies, will enable us to lower all vehicle prices by about 6% on average, allowing us to achieve the $35,000 Model 3 price point earlier than we expected. Over the next few months, we will be winding down many of our stores, with a small number of stores in high-traffic locations remaining as galleries, showcases and Tesla information centers.
The important thing for customers in the United States to understand is that, with online sales, anyone in any state can quickly and easily buy a Tesla.”
ht/ fdr in hell
I don’t see this as materially affecting their sales at all.
Leftist are an open book; they buy their coffee at Starbucks, eat at Panera Bread, wear Nike shoes, buy their groceries at Whole Foods, get solar panels on their house, and buy Tesla’s, used to be Prius’s but those are now for the commoners.
Where I live I see Tesla’s everywhere. It doesn’t matter that Musk may go to prison, that the cars are overpriced, and that the company as a whole bleeds red ink every year, nothing says ,”I’m a good person” more than driving a Tesla.
Deep in debt, heavily subsidized, poor quality autos, bad maintenance service and now closing showrooms.
Who could have foreseen that this socialist style business model is heading for disaster?
Where are they going to return their crappy Tesla if it turns out to be a lemon?
The fit and finish of a tesla is so sad. I can’t believe people don’t complain about that shit after dropping 30 grand.
Fit and finish a chevy chevette is better than a tesla!
And those pieces of crap never costed 30k.
Let me guess, No Returns No Exchanges?
A record 7 million Americans are late on their car payments. I’m one of those who pays cash for everything I want or need. I also don’t do Amazon or order anything off the internet. If I want something I either wait for the season to come around or I purchase it at the store right then. A car is the last thing I’d ever buy on the internet. I’d buy a beater before I ever do that.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/02/12/record-million-americans-are-months-behind-their-car-payments-red-flag-economy/?utm_term=.c150739a2067
Damn, I was going to go buy a couple Teslas today.
Anyone have a coupon code for Tesla?
Doing away with the test drive is a smart move. Too many potential customers going up in flames.
I stick by my prediction that once the novelty wears off the electric car phenomenon that the only customers will be government agencies and at that point there will be efforts to compell private purchase. AOC is their point person on the latter.
Where I live, we are about 300 miles from the nearest Tesla dealer. Nevertheless, I have noticed a recent inundation of these things; and indication of the flood of “equity immigrants” from California. This does not bode well for the 2020 election. It also is a clue as to the sudden left turn of our RINO congressman.
So my mailman is going to be driving those POSs to people’s houses??
I have it on good authority, the next Tesla model will be:
The Zippo.
Who needs a test drive? Everybody knows the Virtue-Signals work just fine.
Yeah, because everyone purchases a $35,000.00 vehicle without a test drive…right?
For such an astute businessman, Musk sure comes up with some hairbrained schemes.
Doesn’t pay to have those self-destructing, Lithium battery buggies sitting on the lot in northern states with sub-zero temperatures – at least not this winter.
Turns out other countries have figured out to drive these things in winter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsLMlozXjhk
The first effect of States and Provinces (and the Feds) cancelling the subsidy per car Tesla has enjoyed for a number of years. Closing the showrooms was kind of dumb when you’re trying to increase sales (if he already has the holier than thou progs then he needs to get to real people and a showroom is the place to be) but then maybe they looked at the books and production costs and figured this was the only area to cut without the whole house of cards tumbling down.
I love to do burnouts in the Tesla parking lot with my 500HP Cummings Diesel Dodge Ram, kills every mosquito for 2 square blocks. I am going to miss those stuck up turkeys.
Another one crashed and burned here in South Florida this week
…Killing the Driver….
I say We issue them to Libtards….With Firestones of course.
Thomas Edison is laughing his ass off…
TESLA allegedly gives you 7 days and 1,000 miles to return your new Tesla for a full refund.
Sounds like a rent-free fun motocross weekend to me.
I noticed the Dunkins in Manchester TN has 12 Tesla charging stations in their parking lot. In Manchester?!? Somebody got some cash under the table there, and I bet it’s all my (taxpayer) cash.
My golf buddy has a 3 year old $100k Tesla and cannot make a 120 mile Jax to Orlando trip without one stop for charging because the batteries are charging to 50% and are not under warrantee.