Tesla, TSLA & the Investment World: the Perpetual Investors' Roundtable

[Huskyf]

Tesla Model Y secures 2024 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award despite tougher metrics​

Tesla Model Y secures 2024 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award

A total of 22 vehicles qualified for the IIHS' highest safety designation, TOP SAFETY PICK+. One of these was the Tesla Model Y crossover.

www.teslarati.com

 

[SOULPEDL]

I'm not sure how you'd go about machining hands out of acetyl, but that would be quite a feat. Acrylic, perhaps? I certainly hope Optimus does well. I have a significant portion of my net worth invested in Tesla, not Figure AI. I actually think the attention that Figure is attracting with their bot will benefit Tesla stock immensely.

Ya, I meant Acetal (Delrin) not Acetyl. It's what I'm using and looks just like their hands.

 

[M|S|M MYP]

Nobody say anything.

 

[unk45]

Their under 20k cars are poor quality from multiple sources who use or been in them. Byd didn't magically discovered how to make a bmw quality car for 15k.

While not arguing with your persistent criticism of all things Chinese.you might want to directly evaluate some of them in markets where they are sold. In some models they are now regarded as high quality, even with the cheaper ones. Even the often odd styling is becoming more typically western in many cases. We also might want to understand why Elon, for example, regards Chinese OEMs as the most serious Tesla competitors.

 

[SOULPEDL]

Nobody say anything.

I couldn't help myself and sold 25 at 204.5 near the open. Not advice, there really could be an AI awakening out there with FSD/Robot/Dojo...

Edit: Del ChatGPT4 answer... It's wrong more than right with me!!! I guess that's their AI strategy - push the false and find the edges.
Thanks @Artful Dodger for correcting this post.

 

[Discoducky]

While I'm not worried, per se, about BYD, I think it is best to better understand what they could or are doing better than Tesla. For instance they seem to be faster at learning and iteration (thought I'd never say that) in China as their EV lineup has filled out very quickly and is very competitive (just not clear if they have higher margins or could compete if Tesla continues to price cut)

I'm keen to watch sales data coming out of Europe as it is clear they are making a play there and while their current lineup aren't "killers", their lineup is quite interesting with the Atto 3, Seagull, Seal and Dolphin (not so much)

Things I keep an eye on (X and YT):

• Monthly sales in China
  1. Roland Pircher @piloly
• Monthly overall sales in Europe
  1. BestInTESLA @TeslaBest
• Monthly sales by country; namely Germany
  • Same two folks
• Dealership/service center count in Europe
  • Autoline
• New model introductions
  • Wheelsboy
  • Autoline
• Reviews
  • Carwow
    • Seal
  • Autoline
    • Seagull
  • Whatcar
    • Seal
    • Atto 3

 

[M|S|M MYP]

I couldn't help myself and sold 25 at 204.5 near the open. Not advice, there really could be an AI awakening out there with FSD/Robot/Dojo... I also think APPL needs to take a hit so we can move up this list. uSoft might be justified (scary).

ChatGPT4 Response:
Based on the weight within the S&P 500 Index, as of the most recent data available, here are the top 10 companies:

1. Apple Inc. (AAPL) - 7.01%
2. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) - 6.96%
3. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) - 3.44%
4. NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) - 3.05%
5. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) - 2.06%
6. Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) - 1.96%
7. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) - 1.75%
8. Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) - 1.71%
9. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) - 1.62%
10. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) - 1.23%

Might be fun to ask how others would rank these?

Waiting for $204.51 to sell mine

 

[SOULPEDL]

Waiting for $204.51 to sell mine

You're on.
For the record...

 

[scaesare]

i really hope this is staged ... starting to regret my FS order ... not an attention seeker by nature but i do need a new truck
what a great problem to have ... this is insane

I suspect it's real. When I got my S in early 2013 it was one of only a couple in Northern VA. I got stops and stares all the time... people asking me about it... came out to the parking lot and one guy was taking pics of it for a publication. And an S is nowhere near as radical looking as the CT, so I suspect it gets LOTS of attention currently.

But just as nobody bats an eye at my S anymore, so too the hub-bub about seeing a CT will die down...

 

[scaesare]

Figure.Ai dropping some impressive demo videos of their robot doing autonomous tasks. Not a surprise they recently got buy in from a lot of high profile investors.

No idea who is further ahead, Tesla or Figure, but both are showcasing some great stuff, and I am guessing competing for the same talent (Figure probably has the advantage their somewhat with stock options likely with far higher return potential)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1762184059399377370

So what's that tether? It has too much slack to keep the thing upright (as seen in the early development of robotics), and I doubt they think it's going to run away too fast.

Is that an umbilical for power or data?

 

[scaesare]

I don't know about that. BMW will probably have the Figure 01 working the line before Tesla does with Optimus from the looks of things.

Installing hydrogen tanks and drivetrains, no doubt...

 

[GSP]

Their under 20k cars are poor quality from multiple sources who use or been in them. Byd didn't magically discovered how to make a bmw quality car for 15k.

“BMW quality?” FYI BMW and Mercedes have ranked below average for quality, reliability, and durability. Toyota has been kicking their butts in QRD for decades. They make some very nice cars, luxurious, fast, good looking, high status, but “high quality” they are not.

GSP

 

[jerry33]

I suspect it's real. When I got my S in early 2013 it was one of only a couple in Northern VA. I got stops and stares all the time... people asking me about it... came out to the parking lot and one guy was taking pics of it for a publication. And an S is nowhere near as radical looking as the CT, so I suspect it gets LOTS of attention currently.

But just as nobody bats an eye at my S anymore, so too the hub-bub about seeing a CT will die down...

I only ever got a few random lookylous on my early 2013 S. However, mine was the silver colour (which I miss) so it didn't stand out all that much. Plenty of attention at car shows though.

 

[SOULPEDL]

So what's that tether? It has too much slack to keep the thing upright (as seen in the early development of robotics), and I doubt they think it's going to run away too fast.

Is that an umbilical for power or data?

Network data, not power, is what they said in the video.
I found it odd that they couldn't put a radio in it. So it's still fishy with me whether it is using power or not.

 

[M|S|M MYP]

You're on.
For the record...

View attachment 1022535

 

[Krugerrand]

While I'm not worried, per se, about BYD, I think it is best to better understand what they could or are doing better than Tesla. For instance they seem to be faster at learning and iteration (thought I'd never say that) in China as their EV lineup has filled out very quickly and is very competitive (just not clear if they have higher margins or could compete if Tesla continues to price cut)

Is that a Tesla thing, though? Or is it a cultural difference and a rules/regulations thing.

1.) I do believe the Chinese are harder workers culturally than most others. So it’s of no surprise to me at how fast they bring stuff to market. They just outwork everyone else. Simply compare Tesla Shanghai to all other Tesla factories. If CT was made in China I believe the ramp would be way ahead of its current rate in Texas and improvement iterations equally advanced.

2.) What is the #1 criteria for Tesla? Safety. Do all the BYD cars get top ratings by the IIHS for instance like the Model Y just got?

3.) It’s faster to copy than it is to create something new from scratch.

 

[RubberToe]

Musk’s Tesla enters the mainstream as it embraces Biden’s EV charger money

An analysis of public records shows Tesla has won the highest percentage of electric vehicle charging awards of any company from the president's infrastructure law.

www.politico.com

 

[SOULPEDL]

Is that a Tesla thing, though? Or is it a cultural difference and a rules/regulations thing.

1.) I do believe the Chinese are harder workers culturally than most others. So it’s of no surprise to me at how fast they bring stuff to market. They just outwork everyone else. Simply compare Tesla Shanghai to all other Tesla factories. If CT was made in China I believe the ramp would be way ahead of its current rate in Texas and improvement iterations equally advanced.

2.) What is the #1 criteria for Tesla? Safety. Do all the BYD cars get top ratings by the IIHS for instance like the Model Y just got?

3.) It’s faster to copy than it is to create something new from scratch.

.... and possibly
4.) China has been discrete, humble over recent years, and this was all happening before we knew it.

 

[Discoducky]

Is that a Tesla thing, though? Or is it a cultural difference and a rules/regulations thing.

1.) I do believe the Chinese are harder workers culturally than most others. So it’s of no surprise to me at how fast they bring stuff to market. They just outwork everyone else. Simply compare Tesla Shanghai to all other Tesla factories. If CT was made in China I believe the ramp would be way ahead of its current rate in Texas and improvement iterations equally advanced.

2.) What is the #1 criteria for Tesla? Safety. Do all the BYD cars get top ratings by the IIHS for instance like the Model Y just got?

3.) It’s faster to copy than it is to create something new from scratch.

Yep, C-NCAP is the main governing test agency and BYD does get top marks on their vehicles: https://carnewschina.com/2023/01/16/byd-seal-scores-5-stars-in-c-ncap-crash-test-in-china

A price war Tesla can most definitely win, its the innovation speed that is my main focus. BYD is expanding its EV brands and portfolio much faster it seems. This is why I'm interested in watching sales data and earnings for profit margins.

 

[UncaNed]

All the cool kids are talking about the new BYD and the potential model 2, but not enough people are talking about Vans, Taxis and Semi Trucks. When it comes to reducing emissions, its worth focusing on the vehicles that are in constant use. I don't even do 10,000 miles a year, and me swapping from ICE to EV is great, but its a rounding error compared to a taxi driver or someone doing deliveries all day or long haul trucking.

I think its good that Tesla launched the Cybertruck, because they are (weirdly) so popular in their home country, and home state, but in the wider world, Tesla needs to get semi production up and running at scale, and for-the-love-of-god can we get a Tesla van?
Vans are mostly utilitarian, used for work everywhere in Europe where US users would have a pickup. We badly need an affordable, reliable and popular electric van. GigaBerlin would be the perfect place. Europe loves vans! and if the model Y is not enough to fill up GigaBerlin, lets get some vans made!

The bot, FSD, Dojo are all cool. I'd love to see some cybertrucks in Europe, and obviously I'm keen to see the model 2 reveal. But what I REALLY want to see as an investor is Tesla reveal their Tesla Van, or the first mass-production semi's roll off the line. Do we think the semi line will be producing vehicles this year? It feels like Tesla should be building a semi factory/line in China and Europe at the same time. Its not like they are short of capital.

It drives me nuts that Tesla doesn't allow for a stripped 1 or 2 seat cargo version of anything for small delivery vehicles for florists, auto parts stores, caterers, mail carriers, or for camping. Many times I curse the un-removeable nature of my Model X rear seats when I want to move a lot of stuff.

I'm thinking Tesla tries to stagger building out each new factory or production line with updates and improvements so that each one stands on the shoulders of the previous machine-that-builds-the-machine. Build three Semi factories on three continents all at once, and they will be identical; but Tesla's mission requires optimizing for and improving on the machine-that-builds-the-machine, not just to speed products to production.