Tesla Increases Prices for Existing 2008 Orders - Page 4

SByer · 01-17-2009, 12:25 PM

Ok, so I'm going to be the weird one in the group and say that, now that I have the e-mail from Elon, I'm actually kinda happy. Yes, I'm going to be paying more for options - I'm not fond of the stereo bundle, but like I said, I was always surprised it wasn't that way. The unbundling of the HPC is a bit of a bait-and-switch, as well.

I'm happy I can now get the carbon fiber top, have options for de-plasticing the interior (though I'd like to see them in person before choosing), and options for the wheels.

I just wish the upgraded motor from the Sport was an option (or getting a Sport upgrade on an '08 was an option), and of course, some information on some of the options (upgraded seats?) would be useful.

Maybe I'm being a bit blase about this, but I kinda sorta expected some fiddling of options to extract more cash out. It's the lateness of it, and the lack of complete information that's put me off.

JRP3 · 01-17-2009, 12:42 PM

I thought you could upgrade?

Quote:

Customers who haven’t taken delivery may upgrade to the Roadster Sport.

Tesla Motors - Roadster Sport

Lancelac · 01-17-2009, 12:56 PM

09's can upgrade by just paying for the Sport package, with no delivery change.

08's can upgrade by pushing their delivery to July/August, AND paying the 09' base price (110k) instead of the 08' base price (92 or 99k depending on the commitment date) PLUS the Sport package. The wait and 30-38k price diff is pretty much disuading almost every 08' order from upgrading.

tomsax · 01-17-2009, 01:04 PM

Here's a link to my analysis of the price increase due to the change in the base model and prices of the options.

The New Tesla Prices - Tom Saxton's Blog

James · 01-17-2009, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lancelac

The wait and 30-38k price diff is pretty much disuading almost every 08' order from upgrading.

I think the real goal of offering the Sport mode to 2008 was to sell those final few 2008 spots to new customers. Now they can slip about 30 orders into the 2008 that get delivered in July.

TDA · 01-17-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SByer

Maybe I'm being a bit blase about this, but I kinda sorta expected some fiddling of options to extract more cash out. It's the lateness of it, and the lack of complete information that's put me off.

I kind of sort of expected some fiddling of options to extract more cash out of me as well, up until the point they made me push the "lock-in options" button nine months early to keep from "delaying" my car anymore. That "lock-in now" thing is beginning to sound like a familiar ploy essentially to extract more cash out of each Tesla buyer. What happens when we get to VINs 400, 600, 800, etc? The $12,000 battery they want us to ante up for now...is it really only going to be $12K when we actually need it? Doesn't really sound like a "new kind of car company", it sounds more and more like every other car company.

We've played completely by Tesla's rules and I fully planned to honor my commitments as I've done all my life. I guess I naively expected them to do so as well.

Out of the 400 remaining 2008 buyers one would expect a couple of them to be lawyers. It wouldn't bother me a bit if one of them wanted to put together some sort of a class action lawsuit to force Tesla to honor their commitments. Of course there are many problems with that approach, the biggest is that Tesla is holding a good chunk of my cash.

Oh well, maybe getting out now isn't really such a bad deal. I've kind of been wandering how Tesla will survive once Toyota, Nissan, GM, and some of the others actually get into the game.

stopcrazypp · 01-17-2009, 09:43 PM

Prospective Tesla owners not happy about price increases on locked in cars - AutoblogGreen

Looks like we're in the news. Hopefully the bad publicity is enough to get them to turn around (it'll spread quite quickly after it's out there). I don't want the company to become bankrupt from one stupid move.

dpeilow · 01-18-2009, 12:21 AM

Woah, check the comments at ABG already...

But as I have said, the change of pound/dollar exchange rates that people are assuming means Tesla are getting a good deal from Lotus on gliders (assuming they are charged in pounds) is even worse *the other way* on pound/euro for parts Lotus may be buying from mainland Europe, such as the body panels. Perhaps they (Lotus) have no choice but to pass this on to Tesla?

James · 01-18-2009, 01:19 AM

It looks like at least one owner (#395) is cancelling his order because of the price increases.

1-18-2009 @ 12:09AM

Ron Elliott said...
I am number 395. I am not a rich person dabbling in a plaything. I thought I was actually doing some good by supporting a company that was moving us to a more sustainable future. I put $50,000 of my own money down on this car in May of 2007. I withstood the delays. I held in there when it almost seemed the company was going bankrupt. Now, after locking in my options, they pull this on me. Elon Musk does not understand the power of evangelicals to the cause. Steve Jobs does. The same power that can bring people to the cause can turn the same power in a 180 degree turn against the cause. From this day forward, that's what I'm going to do. Elon should know that the people who have bought this car are not stupid. We know that the rolling stock has seen a price depreciation in the English pound from $2.04 to $1.44. He's making more money than he ever thought he would. This is a blatant slap-in-the-face-and-see-if-it-sticks move. I hope that enough people cancel their order so that the whole company goes bankrupt. Movements based on ideology hold companies to a higher plane than companies that do things just to make a profit.
I'd love to have the car, I can't have it now. I don't like the feeling of being screwed.
Ron Elliott

felix pius · 01-18-2009, 05:16 AM

After so much negative comments

, I want you to be honest: Tesla could be forced to increase the roadster prices soon in order to get cash flow positive. They can only arrive to that, if the costs of the roadster are now 100% covered by the selling prices. Most probably, this is a very important factor or even a condition to get the 200 million loan guarantee for the model S. Like that, no one can anymore say, that Tesla want a bailout for a luxury gadget - seems very important to me.

Of course even in such a case, we would like to have a more open communication of this step. On the other hand, Tesla's strategies and financial situation can not be fully exposed to the public obviously.

I hope we will hear more about Teslas Model S

in the next few weeks to calm down our anxieties.