Elon Musk Warns of Chinese Electric Car Brands' Potential to "Demolish" Rivals as Tesla Earnings Decline

[newnative]

    Let me get out my hanky and cry my crocodile tears for poor, super-rich Tesla.  Boo hoo.  Competition is good.   Tesla models only came down in price because of competition.  They were grossly over-priced--as shown by how easily the price was reduced once there was some competition.  Buyers were being gouged.   And, still being gouged, in my opinion.  If you want a red car, it's an extra 85,000 baht.  All colors cost extra, except black.  So, if you don't want to pay extra on an already expensive car, channeling Henry Ford, you can have any color you want as long as it's black.  Welcome to the early 20th century.

    If Tesla had better, fresher, more diverse product, it might be doing better.  It makes 3 look-alike 4-door sedan models and an ugly truck.  Only a couple of the look-alike models are currently available in Thailand.   Most of the models sold have been on sale for some years now, virtually unchanged.  Spend some money, Elon and keep your product fresh.  Spend some money and produce more distinct models--and make them all available.  Spend some money and open more dealerships.  You're getting beaten by new and better competition, and this is just the beginning.  You had the market to yourself and you coasted, raking in the profit but moving forward way too slowly.

     Take a look at MG, for just one example.  They make a 4-door sedan.  They make a large passenger van.  They make a truck.  And, they make at least 4 distinct SUV/wagon types of vehicles, some hybrid and some all-electric models.  They're making the investment in new models and also opening up dealerships.  Same with BYD--planning to open 100 new dealerships in Thailand in 2024.  Both have dealerships in Pattaya.   How many are you opening, Elon?  If you are being 'demolished', it's your own fault.

[ftpjtm]

23 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

BYD are outselling Tesla by a factor of 10 in Thailand.  It's Tesla's own fault, half a dozen price cuts everywhere except Thailand.  Tesla cars are a little old looking now.

 

Exactly. Current Model 3 price China = 245,900 or 1.24M baht. 

 

Import duty currently waived on Teslas in Thailand, price 1.6M baht.

 

If they lower the Thai price to China levels I'll buy one. Otherwise my next car is an MG or BYD EV.