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kleinbl00  ·  3507 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Elon Musk’s sleight of hand

Mmmmm... I don't buy it. Sure. These are things that help "self-driving fleets." But you're going to want to have humans back at base just to pick the candy wrappers and airline ticket stubs out of the back seat so the magic snake is supernumerary to that vision. Seats that move automagically? That's an upsell, not a revolution, as are most aspects of Tesla vehicles. The primary distinction Tesla has is the drive to do things that convention doesn't do for very good reasons, and then take a loss on them until they become the norm. It's not that Detroit can't build a $130k electric car, it's just that Detroit couldn't sell a $130k electric car. 'round here, Teslas are for people who want to show up their friends' Priuses. For people who want to show up their friends' Teslas, there's the BMW i8.

Let's be realistic: if you're dropping $130k on a Model X, you are NOT treating the thing like an AirBnB. You are purchasing it exclusively to lord over your neighbors. That's the main thing that drives Tesla sales. I've been tempted to start a "snarky Tesla vanity plates" tumblr just because of how many I see...