So instead of trying to compete with BYD, they are leaving that space open for Chinese domination, and instead they are trying to catch up to the Waymo-Uber-Lyft race where Tesla has not even tried to compete yet.
To me, it just seems that Musk just doesn't believe in market capitalism and competition. Or that he's exceptionally terrible at it.
I believe a huge chunk of Tesla's valuation is based on their automation tech, despite having very little real success towards full automation. So they have to focus on that and try to prove they can deliver.
But I'm guessing they won't succeed, as there are fundamental flaws with the technology itself, that can't be solved by throwing more sensors at the problem.
It seems their stock valuation rests on an assumption that their self-driving tech is unique, useful and best-of-class. I don't see how they can benefit putting these claims to the test by trying to compete in the robotaxi market.
But can it be solved by throwing less sensors at the problem? Cause that's what he's been doing. Removing sensors from the newer versions that were in the older ones.
They'll scream and cry for protectionist policy once they lose the lower end of the market. Musk has one superpower and it's looting the public for his own benefit.
Not me, I see a bunch of Polestars already cruising around, and here Teslas are not even the most sold EV. Super cheap itty-bitty locally made EV "trucks" that are as big as a Smart are.
It happened to Blackberry, everyone had one of those until iPhone came out. IBM used to be the most common PC brand. Everyone used to drive minivans. Markets shift all the time.
I just want an inexpensive commuter that gets ~150 miles per charge. I live in a cold climate and I work about 25 miles away, so I need at least 75 miles range on the coldest days. I also want it to be cheaply repairable, so the battery pack needs to be inexpensive to replace.
Tesla isn't offering that, their battery packs are too hard to service and too expensive. So I'm going to keep driving my hybrid until someone makes something to replace it.
Those Chinese sodium-ion batteries look like the perfect solution. Inexpensive, enough range, and less fire risk. My company says they'll be putting in chargers, so I might be willing to go down a bit on range. If Elon wants my business (he probably doesn't), he needs to make a cheap commuter.
Tesla has abandoned plans to develop an affordable electric Model 2, according to a report in Reuters.
The news organization says it has reviewed company messages that say the affordable Model Y, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed would sell for $25,000 or less, has been axed.
Then, this March, Musk told Tesla workers that the Model 2 would go into production at the company's factory in Berlin.
In light of this news, that statement certainly raises eyebrows—Reuters reports that one of its three unnamed sources told it that the decision to scrap the Model 2 was made in late February.
Instead, Musk is allegedly "all in on robotaxi," Tesla's plan to create an autonomous driving system that could allow its cars to compete with Uber or Lyft without a driver in the equation.
Earlier this week, Tesla posted its worst delivery results since 2020, with an 8.5 percent drop in deliveries year over year and yet another quarter of overproduction that has left the electric carmaker with nearly 150,000 vehicles produced but unsold.
The original article contains 302 words, the summary contains 174 words. Saved 42%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
All those that claim this market belongs to China, Tesla already has production in China, and can use all the same benefits Chinese companies can. Including government subsidies.
Outside companies almost never get the same benefits as local ones, that's true even outside of china. Another thing is that china has national interests in chinese carmakers.
Tesla needs to make a certain substantial profit margin, same problem as Apple's car project. BYD will sell at a loss for years to monopolize like Amazon/Walmart etc.
I don't think you've actually read any of the comments in this thread. Everything is a legit discussion of EVs and how Musk is handling this. Nobody is bashing China. If anyone is being criticized in this thread, it's Musk.