As you all know, I'm pretty upset about what I feel was misleading advertising by Tesla for their 160 Model S. A forum member sent me a link to an archived version of Tesla's website, pre-option pricing. The link to the archived page is here: http://webarchive.teslamotors.com/models/ I don't know how old the archived page is, but it is a good example of what I'm talking about. I haven't had a chance to review their Model S pamphlet from two months ago, but at this point do I really need to?
I've attached three images. I had to crop them to remove my email header and didn't have time to make them prettier, sorry about that. However, you can clearly see that Tesla marketed the $49,900 Model S as having a 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds and a 45-minute Quick Charge. One page indicates, correctly, that the range is 'Up to 300 Miles', while the other simply states '300 mile range'. On every page, the price is listed at $49,900.
But wait, you say, there is an asterisk next to the price! Obviously that indicates that these specs apply only to the more expensive models? Nope. If you look at the last picture, I included the note pertaining to the asterisk: That the $49,900 price was after a federal tax credit. Wow, nice of them to let us know!
If Tesla did not deliver on these claims, it wouldn't be too big an issue. However, they did deliver. They just delivered it for the higher-end Model S. I find it very hard to believe that they have technical limitations which prevented them from delivering QC to the 160, and I find it equally hard to imagine they wouldn't know that the 0-60 performance wouldn't apply to the 160. Even posters here state that they knew the battery size would limit the 160 from achieving that 0-60 time. If forum posters familiar w/ EVs understood that, Tesla must have.
Again, the issue is that Tesla misrepresented their product to reservation holders like myself. There may even be non-reservation holders who heard about the performance and filed it in their mental archives for the day that the vehicle actually comes out. When they hear that the car is out and meets those specs, they'll excitedly head right on down to a Tesla store and ask to see it...only to be shown the more expensive models.
"But I thought it was only $49k?" Oh yeah, well we have that model but it doesn't meet those specs.
"So you're telling me that you did indeed meet those specs, but they're only for the more expensive car? Yes sir, very good sir!
"But that's kinda shady, ain't it?
And before someone says, 'But you don't know, maybe they will offer a 45-minute Quick Charge!', let me preempt you with a question:
If they do not offer it, then will you agree that they misrepresented it?
I've attached three images. I had to crop them to remove my email header and didn't have time to make them prettier, sorry about that. However, you can clearly see that Tesla marketed the $49,900 Model S as having a 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds and a 45-minute Quick Charge. One page indicates, correctly, that the range is 'Up to 300 Miles', while the other simply states '300 mile range'. On every page, the price is listed at $49,900.
But wait, you say, there is an asterisk next to the price! Obviously that indicates that these specs apply only to the more expensive models? Nope. If you look at the last picture, I included the note pertaining to the asterisk: That the $49,900 price was after a federal tax credit. Wow, nice of them to let us know!
If Tesla did not deliver on these claims, it wouldn't be too big an issue. However, they did deliver. They just delivered it for the higher-end Model S. I find it very hard to believe that they have technical limitations which prevented them from delivering QC to the 160, and I find it equally hard to imagine they wouldn't know that the 0-60 performance wouldn't apply to the 160. Even posters here state that they knew the battery size would limit the 160 from achieving that 0-60 time. If forum posters familiar w/ EVs understood that, Tesla must have.
Again, the issue is that Tesla misrepresented their product to reservation holders like myself. There may even be non-reservation holders who heard about the performance and filed it in their mental archives for the day that the vehicle actually comes out. When they hear that the car is out and meets those specs, they'll excitedly head right on down to a Tesla store and ask to see it...only to be shown the more expensive models.
"But I thought it was only $49k?" Oh yeah, well we have that model but it doesn't meet those specs.
"So you're telling me that you did indeed meet those specs, but they're only for the more expensive car? Yes sir, very good sir!
"But that's kinda shady, ain't it?
And before someone says, 'But you don't know, maybe they will offer a 45-minute Quick Charge!', let me preempt you with a question:
If they do not offer it, then will you agree that they misrepresented it?
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