Reactions to Model X reveal event

[aesculus]

As it was, I moved to the other room (less crowded) and watched most of it on a big screen.

Standing near the back about all I saw was Elon's eyebrows :smile: and the screen, so you did better in the other room.

And what was up with not having two screens? One for the presenter and his subject and one for the preso? I don't think I have been to a conference/demo in the last decade that did not do that with such a large crowd. I suspect those on the live feed actually saw a lot more than we did in person.

 

[UMD86]

I AGREE......I'm sure Elon did not like that!

 

[X-Wing]

Tesla shows passion. Apple shows an understanding for numbers. I'll take passion any day.

Sometimes passion is not enough. Tesla can easily go the way of Blackberry if they are not careful.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Anyway, now that the debate and bickering are out of the way. I do wish they did the following:

1. Demonstrated the extra ride height settings (I read that there are 5 now)
2. Showed how to secure bikes, snowboards, and surfboards on the accessory hitch
3. Demonstrated the new sun visors because apparently they extend all the way to the rearview mirror and attach magnetically
4. When the car came out, I wish they did a full 360 spin around like they did in 2012's X event with the headlights turned on fully so we could see

Other than that, I feel like it's going to be one of those cars where all the little features (ex the doors) will add up to a superb experience that can only be felt when driving it.

This event wasn't about details. It was about showing the world, and especially Wall Street, that Model X is on time. The overall presentation, to me, felt like a formality.

 

[eye.surgeon]

Love Tesla and my Model S. Not impressed with the launch event or the model X for that matter.

1. Starting on time matters. Starting that late is unprofessional.
2. Elon's not a public speaker and should not have been the main presenter
3. The car is ugly
4. the falcon doors are an overly complex, overthought affectation. As they showed how little space the rear doors take to allow access, the car was still undrivable because the front doors are conventional and couldn't be opened in their demonstration. That is a fail.
5. auto opening and closing front doors is a gimmick and will prove to be a PITA. They were even a PITA at the launch when the opened inappropriately in the middle of the presentation.
6. the falcon doors and auto opening front doors together will probably double the number of service visits the car will need over it's lifetime for fixes and troubleshooting. My prediction. I could hear the collective groan of every Tesla service center manager during the presentation.



Hope they sell a ton of them, and hope the design team for the model 3 is different. I'm reminded that the same company that made the Apple II also made the Lisa.

 

[Gizmotoy]

It was about showing the world, and especially Wall Street, that Model X is on time.

I think they're already well aware that it was not on time. :wink:

 

[yobigd20]

5. auto opening and closing front doors is a gimmick and will prove to be a PITA. They were even a PITA at the launch when the opened inappropriately in the middle of the presentation.

LOL just wait until it snows and then the doors open automatically as you approach your car and all the snow falls into the seats giving you a wet butt for the next hour or two.

 

[ohmman]

LOL just wait until it snows and then the doors open automatically as you approach your car and all the snow falls into the seats giving you a wet butt for the next hour or two.

I'm pretty certain they will have to provide an enabled/disabled toggle for the "valet doors". If I don't cancel my reservation and do wind up with one, I would plan to have it disabled indefinitely.

 

[X-Wing]

LOL just wait until it snows and then the doors open automatically as you approach your car and all the snow falls into the seats giving you a wet butt for the next hour or two.

Actually my concern with Auto Front Door Open is potential safety issue say with car jacking. Now not only do you have to watch your back but potentially someone from the passenger side as I approach the vehicle?

Note to Self:

1. Disable Auto Front Door open as part of my winterization routine.

2. Find a solution for snow/salt potentially ruin 2nd row seat post. WeatherTech Liner should do just fine.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Oh geez, not this again.

ICE cars only achieve peak horsepower at a tiny narrow band at sea level. The advertised 0-60 times are accurate and fall within standard US 0-60 acceleration tests. 0-60 times have a standardized test in the US, measuring horsepower on an electric vehicle does not, and the measurement is accurate based on the methodology Tesla chose. End of story.

The media response has been overwhelmingly positive on most every major outlet I'm looking at. I don't think anyone here at TMC guessed half the features on the car (especially related to the FWD opening dynamically in tight spots).

I was trying to be sarcastic with that one.

 

[gizmoboy]

Between a polished and well rehearsed presentation of the (re)invention of the watch, and a geeky, improvised, and somewhat unprofessional presentation of a serious contribution to sustainable transportation, I know what I would choose. I buy into the vision and the passion that went into the product, and perhaps it makes me have oversight with the execution. However I'd like to believe that it does not necessarily make me into a fanboy.

That's a false distinction; it's not an either/or situation.

We were discussing presentation style, not the relative merits of the companies' product lines, but if you wanted to go down that route, I'd suggest that the iPhone has been far more transformative of modern culture than Tesla has to date.

But that argument itself is beside the point anyway. The presentations could have been rehearsed and been more polished with little additional effort. And if Musk is too busy to rehearse his presentations, that speaks to either discomfort or disdain of the process.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Ok let's have Tesla start acting like that. Let's have them lie about emissions, have sticky pedals, and while we're at it, have the make ignition switches that fail and kill people.

You forgot one... have them overstate the horsepower specifications of their flagship car. Too soon? lol

Not trying get off topic here, but what are you referring to? Z06 engine overheating and go into limp mode? Both the Stringray and Z06 got some apparent engine issues. Shame really.

Porsche of course had the infamous IMS bearing saga. Nissan GTR initially shipped with transmission made out of glass. At the supplier level, how about airbags from Takata. It's not like Bosch or Delphi never screwed up before.

Trust me, I can go on all day. But none of these are valid excuses for Telsa when they do screw up. Unless you wish for Tesla to be mediocre.

Complete trail is above. It was a sarcastic followup to aznt1217's sarcastic post.

- - - Updated - - -

Sometimes passion is not enough. Tesla can easily go the way of Blackberry if they are not careful.

I don't think Blackberry/RIM's decline had anything to do with lack of marketing snazz. It had everything to do with lack of passion. I think you may have confused your metaphors?

 

[Fiver]

You know, to all the people here complaining about the features of the X. How they offer things that they don't need, that the price is too high, and that the styling isn't what they like... A little birdy told me that there might be a third Tesla model coming out, that doesn't have a lot of crazy features, and that might be priced much much lower! I don't know about it's styling but if the first two points hold true it might be just what you all are looking for.

Expect it to ship in volume around 2020.

 

[ankitmishra]

Love Tesla and my Model S. Not impressed with the launch event or the model X for that matter.

1. Starting on time matters. Starting that late is unprofessional.
2. Elon's not a public speaker and should not have been the main presenter
3. The car is ugly
4. the falcon doors are an overly complex, overthought affectation. As they showed how little space the rear doors take to allow access, the car was still undrivable because the front doors are conventional and couldn't be opened in their demonstration. That is a fail.
5. auto opening and closing front doors is a gimmick and will prove to be a PITA. They were even a PITA at the launch when the opened inappropriately in the middle of the presentation.
6. the falcon doors and auto opening front doors together will probably double the number of service visits the car will need over it's lifetime for fixes and troubleshooting. My prediction. I could hear the collective groan of every Tesla service center manager during the presentation.



Hope they sell a ton of them, and hope the design team for the model 3 is different. I'm reminded that the same company that made the Apple II also made the Lisa.

1. Agree. But the car is great so it doesn't matter. Starting an event on time wont make the car great.
2. Disagree. I love to hear from the man. He brings a halo effect to Tesla. He if goes, a lot of publicity will go down the drain, then Tesla will have to burn cash like other mediocre companies do to attract attention.
3. Disagree. In fact the front nose looks better than S. (no offense to S owners)
4. It's not only about that particular demonstration. That demo was for people who worried that FWD wont open in spaces where front doors do but space is tight. This happens with new tech.
5. It will attract a lot of attention, just like the auto presenting door handles. It may be useful to some and not useful to some.
6. Maybe, but it will also bring a lot of smiles on the face of owners.
(My opinion)
Yes. I agree it will sell a lot because the car is awesome.

 

[Freudianly]

I'm willing to bet that a percentage of Tesla's "unwillingness" to deliver a more sophisticated PR event is that, either subconsciously or on purposes, the car is ridiculously supply restrained at its current stage. Not only that, but if the Model S was any indication, once publications like Consumer Reports, Motor Trend, et al have access to review cars, this thing is going to start selling like an absolute monster. Why generate added "buzz" when a) it's going to take a year for the backlog of 20K+ orders to clear and b) you have upcoming press that's going to set this car up to be the greatest thing since sliced bread?

Let's not forget that Tesla gathered thousands upon thousands of reservations basically on a promise of an alpha car that was shown 3 years ago, not unlike the Model S.

You are absolutely right because you are grounded in reality.
Many here are disappointed when reality is not as perfect as their expectations. They suffer unnecessarily.

 

[ankitmishra]

Sometimes passion is not enough. Tesla can easily go the way of Blackberry if they are not careful.

Blackberry and Tesla don't match. Blackberry refused to accept that a new tech has come to market and kept ignoring it. It even said that no one is going to watch videos on that small screen. Audi, BMW etc could go Blackberry's way if they are not careful. Tesla is like Google and Apple.

 

[swengl]

I read somewhere that the lowest setting is about 6 inches from the ground.

Maybe you and or they missed the screen shots showing these were all set to "very low" in the adjustable suspension and can be raised considerably by just pushing a button on the screen inside the car from warmth and safety?

I can't imagine ground clearance being an issue on a Model X in any way unless you are a technophobe and refuse to adjust a setting in the car.

 

[Judge Advocate]

To the OP: my opinion is the X looks great, I like the new nose. It's the best looking SUV on the market, by far. Love the way the Falcon Wings work, they are an impressive engineering achievement.
You of course are welcome to your own opinion. Which you appear to have stated in multiple threads.

We are all entitled to our opinions. Don't cross the line criticizing other people's opinions!

 

[ankitmishra]

Mmm.... I wouldn't go nearly that far.

Musk is a mediocre presenter. He has a lot of verbal tics and seems to suffer from under-preparing his presentations. His body language speaks to discomfort with that stage.

Tim Cook is both a better presenter and has an equal amount of enthusiasm for his products -- and he's not a great presenter compared to many other chief executives.

Maybe. But presentation skills don't sell electric cars when no one wants to make them. Apple products do not compare with that of Tesla. Apple products are just marginal improvements year after year. There watch was mediocre in my opinion. Steve Jobs might be compared to Elon, not Tim Cook. (my opinion, just a discussion. Hope I don't make Apple fans angry)

 

[ecarfan]

Musk definitely seemed nervous, fumbly, unrehearsed. He appeared to pay most attention to what he was most passionate about- that is not necessarily the most entertaining.

He has said before that he does not rehearse presentations. Compared to multiple other presentations I have seen him do, including two in person at the annual shareholder meeting, he seemed the same last night. I agree he is better when speaking on the core issue Tesla is about, sustainable transport and why that is important.