QOTD: Why Are Tesla Sales Slipping?
Some point to the divisiveness of Tesla head honcho Elon Musk as he moves to the far-right politically and engages in behavior regarding the U.S. federal government that appears to be illegal -- perhaps buyers don't want to be painted as supportive of Musk.
Other factors could be Tesla's known problems with build quality and reliability. Legacy OEMs are also producing electric vehicles that are on par or better than Tesla's options. Oh, and Tesla doesn't really sell much below the "luxury" price point.
And, of course, there are sales challenges facing the greater industry at large -- stagnating wages, the rising cost of living, et cetera, et cetera.
Those factors aren't mutually exclusive, of course -- more than one could be at play. Still, I ask of you -- put on your sales analyst hat and opine why you think Tesla's sales have slid. As a bonus, feel free to point out your own reason for not purchasing a Tesla if you were in the market.
You know what to do. Sound off below.
[Image: Tesla]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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Too many have forgotten there are three branches of the government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. They're supposed to balance out.
Here are the ugly QOTDs of the day: 1. What do you consider fraud, waste, and abuse? 2. What are the rules, yes they all have rules, that establish these conditions?
Any good PO/NCO will say that's what I hear, show me the reg. Off to shovel snow.
Teslas are unique, and in some ways, quirky cars that, like any other car, have an appeal to a limited segment of the market. They have saturated that market, plain and simple. Was the expectation that everyone would trade in their F150s for a Model 3?