First impression of FSD and how TSLA should promote it

[TSLY]

Got a '21 MYLR with USS. FSD 12 is my first foray into FSD. I like to drive myself and rarely even use AP. I was more impressed with FSD than expected but it's only the salt on the peanut. I expected it to make me nervous, which it didn't. That's a plus. But it's still just a preview of what L3-L5 autonomy will offer. Autonomous driving is an all-in, or nothing, proposition, IMO. You either drive a car or the car drives itself! I see no middle ground. People are creatures of habit and I was trained to drive myself. I'm not going to alter ingrained habits over quarter or half measures.

Based on the headwinds Tesla now faces from competition, EV burnout, and model transition, etc, here's what I'd do if I were QELON. After the free trial, offer a one time deal for a very limited period (a month) where Tesla owners can lock in a transferrable $49 a month FSD subscription, that last as long as you own any Tesla. This is the Apple's services/ecosystem model. My hunch is lots of owners (including me perhaps) would purchase FSD, the new subs will be accretive to TSLA's bottom line in the short term, and the FSD recipients will have an incentive to be loyal to Tesla when buying new vehicles in the future. I think the FOMO of this kind of promo could boost TSLA stock, short term, and long term sales.

 

[JMGNC]

I think that's a good idea but I suspect it would be $99 at best. I think the early adopters were "well off" comparatively and those buying the second wave are a mix. Just speculation, but fewer buyers now are comfortable with a $12000 add on to a car that is probably more expensive than what they've previously bought.

 

[TSLY]

I think that's a good idea but I suspect it would be $99 at best. I think the early adopters were "well off" comparatively and those buying the second wave are a mix. Just speculation, but fewer buyers now are comfortable with a $12000 add on to a car that is probably more expensive than what they've previously bought.

Don't think it would fly @ $99. Must be a "once in a lifetime" offer, "too good to refuse".

 

[jkdman123]

I expected it to make me nervous, which it didn't.

Did you engage it on city streets? If so, then you must have ice water in your veins. It's scary as hell trying generally and specifically when trying to navigate turn lanes, especially dual turn lanes. My biggest purchase regret in YEARS.

 

[TSLY]

Did you engage it on city streets? If so, then you must have ice water in your veins. It's scary as hell trying generally and specifically when trying to navigate turn lanes, especially dual turn lanes. My biggest purchase regret in YEARS.

I did, but only drove a few miles, fairly congested. Reminded me of an over-cautious driver. Slow off the line, trails too far behind, etc. I didn't really want to put it to the test, so I've had limited exposure. I'll be testing for the next month which should bolster my initial impression. But I'm more impressed by the FSD graphic/onscreen upgrade, than by its driving prowess.

 

[BroncoAZ]

After doing a demo in my new Y I would consider paying $5,000 now that transferred to subsequent cars, or $49 per month for as long as I own a Tesla product. It would incentivize me to stay in a Tesla product the next time around rather than shopping elsewhere. $12K is just too much, almost 25% of the MSRP.

Eventually we’ll get to the I Robot level of autonomous driving where it’s just included or even mandated on all new cars in the name of road safety.

 

[Rocket_man]

I'm still waiting for the demo so I've never tried FSD but I've seen videos of 12.3.xx and it looks impressive to me. Tesla has created something really innovative. BUT.... no way in #@!! am I going to pay $12K for it. I like to drive. Most of my driving is local and I wouldn't use FSD even if I had it. But on occasion I make longer trips and I can see the utility. I think they priced it so high because they see FSD as income generating software like CAD programs and other expensive software. Assuming people are going to hire out their personal cars like some automated Turo function. The reality is this is not realistic. Here is what I think they should do...

Create a commercial 'robo-taxi' version complete with a reservation and billing process and even allow Tesla to take a cut on each mile sold. Charge $12K for this commercial version of FSD or whatever the market will support. People that run Turo type service would probably be their main customer. Most people are not going to pimp out their personal car as a robo taxi for God knows what users or what they are up to.

Create a personal use license limited to the owner at some reasonable price. I'm thinking $2-3K max. Something that would verify the owner or other authorized driver is using it so it won't function as a robo-taxi. This could be very useful for people who can't otherwise drive, like sight limited, elderly, handicapped etc. But $12K and the 'locked to the car' limitation is just not a good deal for the vast majority of people.

 

[ngng]

Got a '21 MYLR with USS. FSD 12 is my first foray into FSD. I like to drive myself and rarely even use AP. I was more impressed with FSD than expected but it's only the salt on the peanut. I expected it to make me nervous, which it didn't. That's a plus. But it's still just a preview of what L3-L5 autonomy will offer. Autonomous driving is an all-in, or nothing, proposition, IMO. You either drive a car or the car drives itself! I see no middle ground. People are creatures of habit and I was trained to drive myself. I'm not going to alter ingrained habits over quarter or half measures.

Based on the headwinds Tesla now faces from competition, EV burnout, and model transition, etc, here's what I'd do if I were QELON. After the free trial, offer a one time deal for a very limited period (a month) where Tesla owners can lock in a transferrable $49 a month FSD subscription, that last as long as you own any Tesla. This is the Apple's services/ecosystem model. My hunch is lots of owners (including me perhaps) would purchase FSD, the new subs will be accretive to TSLA's bottom line in the short term, and the FSD recipients will have an incentive to be loyal to Tesla when buying new vehicles in the future. I think the FOMO of this kind of promo could boost TSLA stock, short term, and long term sales.

I think what they've accomplished is impressive, but it's also terrifying. The fact that you weren't nervous in LA concerns me

Allowing people to officially transfer EAP/FSD to future vehicles would probably increase the take rate. But paying 20% of the value of your car for something you won't ever see again (unless you catch a transfer promo) is bananas.

 

[gtae07]

I'm on the wrong software branch so haven't had my chance to try FSD yet. But I don't think I'll be interested in a subscription until it drives better than my wife, who is a bad driver, knows and admits it, and thus tries to avoid driving as much as possible, unless she has no other choice.

 

[JMGNC]

The more I use it the more I am impressed. It gets me everywhere I need to go including city streets. But it's a nice to have, not a need to have. I hope Tesla has a fire sale that enables many more of us to afford it.

 

[804son]

After trying FSB on city streets, and local highways, It really seems to me that FSD on city streets is more of a solution looking for a problem. It's amazing that a computer and cameras can pilot a car as well as it does. But, it's just not a buy based on it's abilities and cost/benefit analysis.

 

[zoomer0056]

It's amazing that a computer and cameras can pilot a car as well as it does. But, it's just not a buy based on it's abilities and cost/benefit analysis.

Yeah, it's not necessary in my limited view of reality ... it is amazing though!

 

[ngng]

After trying FSB on city streets, and local highways, It really seems to me that FSD on city streets is more of a solution looking for a problem. It's amazing that a computer and cameras can pilot a car as well as it does. But, it's just not a buy based on its abilities and cost/benefit analysis.

Very well said

 

[Mateo83]

The trial is cool and slightly better than 2 years ago when I tried it last. Still struggles with lane splits and merges in my area and still couldn't justify the value of $10,000 / $200 month.

 

[ngng]

The trial is cool and slightly better than 2 years ago when I tried it last. Still struggles with lane splits and merges in my area and still couldn't justify the value of $10,000 / $200 month.

Putting it in perspective...with all the discounts, we can buy a new MY for about 30k. Is FSD worth almost a third of the car?

 

[LostVector]

When it gets better, I could see myself buying it for kids or old parents to keep them (and others) safer.

At the moment I'm the one that drives ... once a week and pretty safely, so it's hard to justify the extra expense above and beyond autopilot.

 

[Mateo83]

Putting it in perspective...with all the discounts, we can buy a new MY for about 30k. Is FSD worth almost a third of the car?

Definitely not, IT should be standard or a slight fee. I don't understand why the visualizations change either. It's like they downgrade/ punish us for not having FSD.

 

[Mateo83]

When it gets better, I could see myself buying it for kids or old parents to keep them (and others) safer.

At the moment I'm the one that drives ... once a week and pretty safely, so it's hard to justify the extra expense above and beyond autopilot.

I could see that for my dad, who may or may not like a few vodka martinis.

 

[Mateo83]

Wild idea: Hey, you bought our car in 2022-2033, then we cut the prices, and your value plummets. Here's free software to increase your value.

 

[mspohr]

I think that's a good idea but I suspect it would be $99 at best. I think the early adopters were "well off" comparatively and those buying the second wave are a mix. Just speculation, but fewer buyers now are comfortable with a $12000 add on to a car that is probably more expensive than what they've previously bought.

$12,000 is just way too expensive for any perceived value I might get from it.
It's excellent (but limited) and an interesting toy but way too much money.
I might consider a single day fee of $3-$5 for a day when I might find it useful. They could just charge me by the day same as my Supercharger use.