11589 replies to this topic

[spanky123]

Yup they self heal. Some folks appreciate what they drive and want to protect the appearance of their toys! There was a 22 911 Turbo S in getting the full wrap and ceramic treatment, it’s close to $250k so spending $6-7k on it is pretty justifiable.
The Audi looked great!

 

I think most people wrap their cars for reasons other than protection. Maybe it protects you against scuffing your belt buckle but it does nothing to protect you against a dent!

[rjag]

Personally I dont give a rats ass what anyone does to their car. All I did was post a pic of a very rare Audi Etron RSGT that happened to be getting a wrap....FFS sorry for saying anything.

[LJ]

Back in the day, people would put plastic covers over their sofa to keep it from getting dirty.

 

Only if really important company was coming would the plastic be removed.

I inherited a 54 Plymouth flathead 6 from my grandfather, in 1970, had 3400 miles on it and the shipping plastic was still on the seats.

[Mattjvd]

I still don't get the wraps....my 6 yr old Tesla 215,000 km -> https://www.youtube....OvREYaME&t=172s

What would have investing in wrap done? Sure the front bumper would look a bit better but someone hit me the other day while standing still at a red light so car now needs a new bumper anyway. Warp wouldn't have helped. Not to mention at 215,000 km my seat and other components are showing age.

On the island you don't need it. For places where the roads are salted and sanded regularly it's nice.

[Victoria Watcher]

The Tesla Model 3 vehicle subscription program features a month-to-month contract after a three-month minimum term and is designed to allow consumers to order their vehicle in 10 minutes. All they have to do is provide their driver’s license and a digital form of payment, with the vehicle delivery or dealership pickup process to happen in under 20 minutes.

At launch, Autonomy’s subscription program will include low-mileage Tesla Model 3 vehicles, with other Tesla models to be added later. Initially, the program will launch in California, but Autonomy has plans to rapidly expand to other large US markets.

https://insideevs.co...on-service/amp/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 January 2022 - 05:21 AM.

[MarkoJ]

The Tesla Model 3 vehicle subscription program features a month-to-month contract after a three-month minimum term and is designed to allow consumers to order their vehicle in 10 minutes. All they have to do is provide their driver’s license and a digital form of payment, with the vehicle delivery or dealership pickup process to happen in under 20 minutes.

 

Bought my Tesla in 2015 online using PayPal in less than 10 minutes. Last year when I bought a new non-Tesla wow was it painful. Multiple trips to dealer, sitting around with multiple people (sales person/financing manager/"delivery specialist), physically having to sign documents, (signed everything online with Tesla in 2015!!!) bullshit fees added, dealership trying to throw in $595 floormats into the invoice. Then I am like "ahhh, no, I don't need $595 floormats" and they take it off the invoice, but physically leave the floormats in the trunk. When I am like hey guys you left the floormats they are like don't worry about it.

 

None of the people I dealt with were bad people individually, but the dealership concept is so incredibly bad/sleazy when you've purchased a Tesla before. I would literally pay $1,000 to $3,000 more for a car to be able to order online and not deal with people.

[LJ]

In the US ordering from home and having the car delivered to your driveway is quite common.

[Victoria Watcher]

Netherlands: Plug-Ins Represent 30% Of New Cars Sold In 2021

 

In December, plug-in electric cars captured 65% of the market.

 

https://insideevs.co...car-sales-2021/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 23 January 2022 - 04:37 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Elon Musk has a very specific vision for the ideal factory: densely packed, vertically integrated and unusually massive. During Tesla Inc.’s early days of mass production, he was chided for what was perceived as hubris. Now, Tesla’s original California factory has achieved a brag-worthy title: the most productive auto plant in North America.

 

Last year Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, produced an average of 8,550 cars a week. That’s more than Toyota Motor Corp.’s juggernaut in Georgetown, Kentucky (8,427 cars a week), BMW AG’s Spartanburg hub in South Carolina (8,343) or Ford Motor Co.’s iconic truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan (5,564), according to a Bloomberg analysis of production data from more than 70 manufacturing facilities.

 

In a year when auto production around the world was stifled by supply-chain shortages, Tesla expanded its global production by 83% over 2020 levels. Its other auto factory, in Shanghai, tripled output to nearly 486,000. In the coming weeks, Tesla is expected to announce the start of production at two new factories—Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, its first in Europe, and Gigafactory Texas in Austin. Musk said in October that he plans to further increase production in Fremont and Shanghai by 50%.

 

https://www.bloomber...ialflow-organic

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 24 January 2022 - 07:53 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

General Motors is looking to nip the any dealership issues in the bud before its influx of EVs hit the market. In a recent letter to its dealerships, GM has warned against markups above MSRPs and reservation amounts, threatening to redirect vehicles away from offenders.

 

________________________________

 

Shout out to the Silverado Evolution forum whose administrator posted a letter emailed to dealerships by GM North America President Steve Carlisle, warning against additional dealer markups (ADMs) to customers.

 

Carlisle mentions the demand surrounding many of the GM brand EVs mentioned above and also cites limited inventory supply due to the global semiconductor shortage. The GM President first speaks to the markups being added by some dealerships:

 

 

• Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that in connection with some of these announcements and launches, a small number of Dealers have engaged in practices that do not support a positive sales experience for our customers. This puts our collective interests at risk and generates negative press that reflect poorly on GM’s brands and your dealerships. Specifically, it has come to our attention that some dealerships have attempted to demand money above and beyond the reservation amounts set in GM’s program rules and/or have requested customers to pay sums far in excess of MSRP in order to purchase or lease a vehicle.

 

 

Carlisle then reminds its dealerships that they are ethically and lawfully obligated to sell GM products. This is followed by a calling out of some dealerships using brokers who are promoting new GM vehicle allocation – a direct breach of contract.

 

While GM recognizes that this is a small group of perpetrators so far, it looks to squash the issue before it truly becomes one, threatening to reallocate dealership vehicles and pursue “other recourse prescribed by the Dealer Sales and Service Agreement.”

 

 

https://electrek.co/...n-upcoming-evs/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 25 January 2022 - 04:28 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The iconic silver bullet Airstream camping trailer has returned as a remote-controlled EV

Dreamy concepts for escapists from society

https://www.theverge...ed-motorhome-rv

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 25 January 2022 - 01:39 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Former SpaceX engineers bring autonomous, electric rail vehicle startup out of stealth

https://techcrunch.c...out-of-stealth/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 25 January 2022 - 01:49 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

There is a lot of talk about some/many Tesla owners "putting their car into the RoboTaxi fleet" when FSD becomes a reality.  But is that the most obvious use of FSD Teslas? 

 

Wouldn't a large part of self-driving be taking family members and friends that do not drive or are not licensed to drive (seniors, children etc.) places?  Send your kids to school, the mall, soccer practice, to the co-parent's or in-laws or grandmas house in your car, but you do not need to drive.  Send them in your car, but your car some back empty if you need it.  If you don't need it, it waits at soccer practice until it's over, for the return trip.

 

Make a Tinder date, then send your car to get him and bring him over for the hook-up at your place.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 January 2022 - 06:56 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Tesla has posted the full results in its new shareholder’s letter and presentation (see below) and confirmed that it beat expectations on both revenue and earnings.

The company reported $17.7 billion in revenue and earnings of $2.54 per share (Non-GAAP).

Tesla generated over $2 billion in profits during the quarter for a total of over $5.5 billion in 2021 despite significant investments into future production:

“Additionally, we generated $5.5B of GAAP net income and $5.0B of free cash flow in 2021 – after spending $6.5B to build out new factories and on other capital expenditures.”

The company also achieved an impressive 30.6% gross margin on its vehicles in Q4, but it goes down to 29.2% when excluding regulatory credits – still way better than the rest of the industry.


https://electrek.co/...al-results/amp/



30% margins on vehicle sales. Compared to industry average 10%.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 January 2022 - 02:04 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

After the earnings call today Musk said that FSD will be complete this year and that when it is, the asset gain (several million cars being FSD with the flip of a switch) will be the largest ever in the history of the world. In the range of $200 billion in appreciation.

No new models to be produced this year. No pickup trucks.

Optimus will become bigger than the car business soon. It will eliminate any worldwide labour shortage anywhere. And Musk says that will completely transform “the economy” forever.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 January 2022 - 02:57 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Tesla probably won’t build another US factory as they have room to expand the Austin plant.

And before too long, they will assemble your car, then just send it on its way autonomously to your driveway, whether you live in San Diego or Philadelphia.

[Mike K.]

How will it re-charge itself en-route to your home in Philly?

[Victoria Watcher]

Drone Tesla semis with huge diesel generators on the trailer will refuel it on the go right on the I-95.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 27 January 2022 - 12:40 PM.

[Mike K.]

Ok, that make sense.

[spanky123]

After the earnings call today Musk said that FSD will be complete this year and that when it is, the asset gain (several million cars being FSD with the flip of a switch) will be the largest ever in the history of the world. In the range of $200 billion in appreciation.

 

Good. He has been promising FSD every year for 10 years now so maybe it will happen! He is also assuming that people will pony up $10K to get adaptive cruise control and lane departure warnings that work.

 

Kia will start delivering the EV6 to dealerships next month (Hyundai soon afterwards). This will be the Model 3, X and Y killer. Ford and Rivian will kill the Cybertruck and that will leave Mercedes, BMW and Porsche to fight over the S market.

 

There is a reason why Elon dumped so many shares last fall.

Edited by spanky123, 27 January 2022 - 01:01 PM.