Silicon Valley gossip blog Valleywag
didn't bother mincing words when it came to its latest assessment of Elon Musk's car company. According to Owen Thomas, "Tesla is headed over a financial cliff. The only question is how many customers the electric sportscar maker will take for a ride."
Never one to shy away from hyperbole, Thomas does point out some interesting similarities between Tesla and the ill-fated Tucker automobile company of the late 1940s. Although taking money for production level cars that haven't been built yet is nothing out of the ordinary, Valleywag notes that Tesla still plans to start accepting deposits for its Model S sedan on March 5th. Seems a little optimistic given that the company has yet to secure a location for a production plant.
Thomas also claims that Tesla's recent decision to hike the price of its two-seat Roadster has caused production delays and distracted dealers from finding new customers. Does this sound like a company the government should lend $400M to keep afloat?
firstwagon says:
10:42 AM, 02/ 2/09
More like a 21st century John Delorean.
huyracing says:
03:22 PM, 02/ 2/09
Seriously.
Tucker was ahead of his time and got shut down by the big 3.
Tesla simply dropped the ball, just like Delorean.
steve_ says:
09:45 PM, 02/ 2/09
I don't think they've ever been a car company. I think they are in the stock touting business.
compliance says:
10:10 AM, 02/ 3/09
"Lets try to build cars in the most expensive location possible"
I have no clue why this isn't working.