Because Tesla has cultivated a reputation and consumer base where being high maintenance is ok and not particularly bad for the brand. Toyota could do it too.

Because Tesla has cultivated a reputation and consumer base where being high maintenance is ok and not particularly bad for the brand. Toyota could do it too. And for a decade their blindly rabid fanboys would probably still be screeching about how they're the most reliable, facts be damned. and it would probably work quite well. And then when consumers wise up to the fact that they're being sold something on a premise and getting something else it would all come crashing down because high maintenance cars are not consistent with their brand image.