Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I'm more concerned about the rest of the car - the normal car mechanical bits. Tesla may be high on the "wow" factor for electronics and may have great batteries and motors, but I don't know how good they are at building a CAR. I seem to recall that Consumer Reports was falling all over themselves with praises for the Model S, but after a year or two they are on the "not recommended" list.
You recall correctly. However, in their most recent reliability data, CR has raised Tesla 4 places. And keep in mind they are rated better on reliability than several of America's favorite brands. Lincoln, Dodge, Ran, GMC, and Cadillac are all rated lower on reliability than Tesla. What's dragging down Tesla on reliability is the falcon wing doors on the Model X. They may look cool, but they are a nightmare to install and keep in adjustment.
Regardless of whether you like Elon's model for car manufacturing or not, it is clear that when it comes to electric cars, Tesla has become the target that all other manufacturers are shooting for. They have driven the excitement, the momentum. VW is promising to offer electric options in every model. Ford, while very slow, is promising electric cars. Mercedes is working on electric models, as is Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai. BMW has the i3 and the i8. By the way, the i3 is a reminder that Tesla isn't alone on quality issues. BMW recently put a Stop-Sale on all i3 inventory.
Remember who offered electric cars, or had models ready to release, before Tesla made big news with the Model S? Almost no one.
Like them or not, Tesla has driven the movement towards electric cars. Have they burned through an awful lot of cash? No doubt. But there are people out there are are still investing in them, because they are visionaries. They can see the progress that has been driven by Tesla, and they want them to continue.
Will they succeed? I don't know. I sure hope so. We supply a lot of parts for Tesla, and I'm getting anxious to see better volumes on the Model 3. But if they succeed or not, they have driven change in the world, because they are not afraid to be innovative. They really don't care what the norm is, or was.