I started this rant about Tesla and what I think the brand needs to keep growing and thriving in the face of the red-hot competition from established players it’s never had before. In part one, I talked about the need for the brand to diversify its product lines and stop selling the same sausage in different lengths. In this one, I’m going to talk about an even more important part of the company’s continued growth: his need for dealers.
Editor’s Note: Not everyone on our extensive writing team agrees 100% on everything, including matters related to Tesla. This is Jo’s perspective, but that doesn’t mean it’s the norm here. In fact, it is most likely a small minority opinion with a variety of helpful observations and opinions. We welcome here a diversity of opinions and arguments on various cleantech issues, including Tesla. —Zach
Tesla is doing just fine – right?
Despite Tesla having a huge lead in the electric car race, we shouldn’t consider the race won. After all, we didn’t find this article on Netscape, and we don’t read all of this on Palm Pilots or Blackberries, post it to our MySpace accounts, and then send it to our friends through our America Online accounts. likewise, the Oldsmobile Cutlass was by far the best-selling vehicle in the 1970s and into the 1980sof More than 520,000 copies were sold in 1978 alone – and how many kids under 20 even know that Oldsmobile has one? thing?
For the record, that’s nearly 20,000 more Olds Cutlasses sold in 1978 than Tesla Model Ys sold worldwide in 2021 (also in a smaller total market). Historically, that edge may not be all it is, you know?
Moreover, early adopters and evangelists are much more tolerant of the shortcomings of a new technology. Not only will they endure trouble, they will pay Lake and Lake to keep getting the latest and greatest version of a particular product before anyone else.
The majority of buyers, early or not, just don’t think that way.
Of course, you could probably argue that many of the problems people have are user errors, or that they stem from misplaced expectations, or even that people just want to bash Musk and/or Tesla for fake internet points, and I agree with you on most of those points…but not all of them:
- here’s a man who bought a new Tesla Model Y Long Range in Texas (more on that later). Tesla and/or Texas have messed up his paperwork and he hasn’t been able to drive the car for months.
- Vox reports that there are over 9,000 Better Business Bureau claims against the company regarding its service practices.
- Here’s a customer who love the way their Tesla drives, but whose experience with a rushed delivery led them to write, “I think everything that happened to me was intentional of Tesla’s end, because I’m sure they are aware that some of their cars do have manufacturing defects.”
- This video below compares the automatic parking functions of four different vehicle models. The Tesla’s performance is… not good (see for yourself).
Self-parking cars: Tesla vs. Audi vs. ford vs. BMW — Test & Comparison
All this indicates that, if we early early adopter stage and starting things that the early majority will worry about is the technology-focused, online-only approach to customer support fail of consumer expectations. The direct sales model lacks ‘the human element’.
What’s more, Tesla know That the old car brands have a head start here – that’s why they build a fourth Tesla mega dealer in Austin as I type this.
If the city approves the offer, Tesla will spend more than $1.5 million to renovate the 51,975-square-foot store into a dedicated dealer who will handle sales, delivery and service. It is being set up as a one-stop shop for customers who are not quite ready to commit to online car shopping.
Dealers really sell cars
While car dealers get a lot of hate, they also draw a lot of people in, answer their questions and can provide a more welcoming atmosphere for some shoppers. You don’t have to take my word for it, by the way. Here are some numbers of people who may or may not have had a sitcom on HBO:
That’s my opinion anyway – and make no mistake, Tesla is currently win the futuredespite his Technoking snaps at his paying customers and most ardent fans on Twitter. If you’re curious about my take on Elon’s behavior, and want to read another rant about what Elon needs to do to ensure his antics don’t further damage the brand, you can come back for part 3, where I’ll argue that what Tesla really needs to succeed… is to avoid his loyal fans.
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