3 ms·
Over-engineering the Model X is in my view clearly a mistake. Not a huge mistake though. The big problem for Tesla is scaling up. Producing the model 3 at scal
by gizmo 11y ago
Over-engineering the Model X is in my view clearly a mistake. Not a huge mistake though.
The big problem for Tesla is scaling up. Producing the model 3 at scale at a 40k price tag is much harder than anything they have done so far. It has taken competing car companies decades to get to the point where cheap reliable cars just roll of the factory line. Just quality control alone is a huge problem at scale. Sourcing all materials at scale is enormously difficult. In manufacturing scale is everything.
In terms of interior design and finish Tesla is way behind BMW. They don't have the factories BMW does or any of the infrastructure and operational expertise. Tesla won't be able to compete in more the price sensitive "3" segment.
Perhaps Tesla would have been better if they only produced fast luxury cars. Too late for that now, though. The stock is priced based on promises of a mass adoption of the Model 3. A promise that they can't possibly deliver on. Unless Elon pulls another rabbit out of his hat. Wouldn't be the first time.
- _ph_ 11y agoWhile I did not have the chance yet to compare an X to the BMW offerings, it is a notable fact, that Tesla in the meanwhile for both the X and the S is working with the same German companies which supply BMW and Audi. The interior of the X is made by a company usually doing Audis, and the suspension is made by Continental. They also have Bosch components, Harman audio etc. That should put them quite close in quality to the German brands.
- steejk 11y agoApart from quality comes from successful integration of all the components together rather than individually.
- gizmo 11y agoI've heard many people express disappointment at the fit and finish of the model S (cheap components, water leakage, etc), but nothing quite as harsh as the review in BGR: > The fit and finish of a Tesla, especially a $140,000 Tesla, is quite frankly embarrassing. Panels with gaps, cheap plastic components, a decade-old Mercedes shifter, and none of the high-end amenities of luxury cars. The doors are, quite frankly, crap. The leather is medium grade at best. The seats are terrible (disclosure: I have not sat in the brand new Model S seats, though they are still one piece with no power-adjustable lumbar, etc). I don't know if the Model X is better. http://bgr.com/2015/01/14/tesla-tsla-sales-market-data-model-s-d/ http://bgr.com/2015/01/14/tesla-tsla-sales-market-data-model...