2 ms·
I think you capture my nervousness as well -- but I'm still bullish on the company. I think what we're seeing is a by-product of other car companies finally sta
by bane 10y ago
I think you capture my nervousness as well -- but I'm still bullish on the company. I think what we're seeing is a by-product of other car companies finally starting to take electric cars seriously, and Musk's attempts to grab as much of that nascent market as possible before it gets too crowded.
I think the choice Tesla has right now is to fix up their supply chain and reliability issues or expand. Musk has chosen "expand". Incidentally that choice also brings focus to the supply chain -- just in a different way.
My concern is that long-term, delivering several years of great performing, flashy but not-luxurious, and very unreliable cars, is going to hurt the company in the long run. Honda and Toyota both either have or have announced vehicles competitive to the Model 3 on price, range and features. Ford already sells a couple electric vehicles at competitive prices. BMW has entered, and so on.
Amazon made the same bet years ago, focus or expand, and after years of no profitability the gamble has played off. However, Amazon also provided good service and product during those years. So far Tesla owners love their cars, even if they spend as much time in the shop as an exotic Italian car.
The other electrics don't have the brand cachet like Tesla, but they can fast follow until they simply overwhelm the much smaller company.
But, while even the iPhone is a minority smart phone these days, Apple makes most of the profits. Tesla might be able to do the same.
I don't see Tesla being the #1 electric vehicle maker in 10 years, but I do see them being a major player in the industry. Musk is also trying to diversify the company in various ways. It will be interesting to see how this pays off.