Tesla - Brand Perception/Opinions

Sulu

Admirer
Messages
990
Reactions
1,259
The text non-paywall
This seems to have been written by a Tesla apologist. Tesla is a luxury brand merely because of its technology (and price)?

This is where I disagree with the automag writers who equate technology with the size and flash of the central infotainment screen. Is the under-the-surface technology no longer considered to be "tech"? I would consider Tesla's battery hardware and battery management system (including software) to be tech worthy to be considered to be truly innovative; but what other innovative technology does Tesla offer on its cars?

In the past, examples of truly innovative technology included airbags; fuel injection; and electronic stability program (ESP), the electronic nannies that included ABS, traction control and stability control. I remember that Mercedes-Benz, a long recognized luxury brand, was one of the first automakers to offer all of these technologies. (And now Mercedes-Benz offers those flashy infotainment screens also!)

In fact, luxury auto brands have long been known for all of these qualities: comfort and quality; brand recognition, exclusivity and cachet; and innovative state-of-the-art technology. Can Tesla offer all of that?
 

Motor

Expert
Messages
2,127
Reactions
3,146











Some were funny.
 

IS-SV

Premium Member
Messages
1,886
Reactions
1,350
onion.com = fake news organization/mediocre humor, Midwestern-style.

But the time-wasting Twitter show, now there's a sure way to drag down TESLA-Brand Perception/Opinions.

 
Messages
2,793
Reactions
3,378
 

Och

Admirer
Messages
566
Reactions
521
As much as I think Tesla cars are piles of garbage, I'd almost consider one purely because of what Elon is doing with Twitter.
 

CRSKTN

Expert
Messages
1,942
Reactions
3,188
As much as I think Tesla cars are piles of garbage, I'd almost consider one purely because of what Elon is doing with Twitter.
That's pretty embarrassing.

I will say the good thing about these demagogues is they're a great red flag for anti social and immoral views.

Quick civility test: ask yourself if you think this is OK behavior. This isn't even political, it's moral.

Online
Claiming in March 2020 that people worried about the coronavirus were “dumb”
Predicting on March 19, 2020, that the U.S. was going to have “close to zero new cases” by the end of April
Questioning the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, and baselessly asserting that there were “quite a few negative reactions” to getting a second shot
Likening Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau to Hitler
Saying the U.S. government shouldn‘t provide subsidies to companies after receiving billions in subsidies from the U.S government
Using Twitter to engage in securities fraud
Tweeting, “Pronouns suck”
Tweeting misogynistic things at Senator Elizabeth Warren because she said he should pay more in taxes
Writing to Bernie Sanders, who also thinks the richest man in the world should pay more in taxes, “I keep forgetting that you’re still alive”
Tweeting dumb, sexist jokes
Tweeting a photo of Bill Gates and writing, “in case u need to lose a boner fast”
Tweeting in 2018 that Tesla factory workers could lose their stock options if they unionized
Baselessly accusing a British cave diver instrumental in rescuing a trapped football team of being a “pedo guy” because he, like others, said Musk’s idea to send in a submarine wouldn’t work

Offline
Reopening a Tesla factory in violation of public health orders, where 450 cases were subsequently recorded
Running a company (Tesla) that was ordered to pay nearly $137 million to a former Black employee who said the company ignored repeated complaints that he was called the N-word and that his colleagues “had drawn swastikas and scratched a racial epithet in a bathroom stall and left drawings of derogatory caricatures of Black children around the factory.” (In a message to Tesla employees, a human resources executive downplayed the man’s allegations, noting he was a contractor, not a full-time staffer, and that other witnesses had said that while they heard racial slurs, they were used in a “friendly” manner. The H.R. executive added that the company was “not perfect” at the time of the incidents, and “is still not perfect,” but has “come a long way.”)
Running a company (Tesla), where a female worker said sexual harassment was “rampant,” alleging “nightmarish conditions” and a factory that “more resembles a crude, archaic construction site or frat house than a cutting-edge company in the heart of the progressive San Francisco Bay area.” (The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Washington Post, which noted Tesla “does not typically respond to press inquiries.”)
Running a company (Tesla) that employees have called a “modern-day sweatshop” (In response, Telsa said it abided by California laws.)
Attempting to “destroy a Tesla whistleblower”
Reportedly exploding at “executives and lower-ranking workers” alike, and allegedly firing people who disagreed with him (Musk has denied allegations that he goes on firing sprees)
Announcing Tesla’s headquarters would move to Texas one month after the state effectively banned all abortions
Paying a private investigator $50,000 to dig up dirt on the cave diver he called “pedo guy


This is the most concise list of "immoral things he's done" I could find. It goes on.
 
Messages
2,793
Reactions
3,378
Wouldn't be caught dead in one of his incelmobiles
So with the current state of Tesla and how much of the company is anchored to its CEO, I'll be curious if him winning more fans on the other side of the political spectrum as Chief Twit will win him new buyers to his cars, especially those who weren't keen of the technology (most likely truck owning guys), so perhaps he is trying to sway them to buy?

OTOH, as we've seen even here with the TLE community, this is leading many folks to change or reconsider their potential buying decision or current ownership. With younger buyers that are potentially more friendly to EVs, I'm curious if this will turn them off from the brand as Tesla has been quite a popular vehicle with this demographic.
 

Will1991

Moderator
Messages
1,572
Reactions
3,205
Tesla is doing quite well in Europe as they're selling a lot around here, specially the Y, and it's what the younger buyers are looking for...

Lot's of people are going from BBA to Tesla.
 

CRSKTN

Expert
Messages
1,942
Reactions
3,188
Tesla buyers are not angry far right old men. The sentiment is already looking poor for Tesla given recent events. It should begin to show up in next years sales numbers, probably in the back half. "Woke" young people don't want to buy EVs from their ancient bigoted uncle.
 
Messages
2,793
Reactions
3,378
Tesla is doing quite well in Europe as they're selling a lot around here, specially the Y, and it's what the younger buyers are looking for...

Lot's of people are going from BBA to Tesla.
Yeah they definitely are doing well in Europe, because EV is more avant garde there than here
Tesla buyers are not angry far right old men. The sentiment is already looking poor for Tesla given recent events. It should begin to show up in next years sales numbers, probably in the back half. "Woke" young people don't want to buy EVs from their ancient bigoted uncle.
EM torpedoing Tesla is great for the competition; the RZ is coming to market at a very opportune time. That buyer group that Tesla won over might see the benefit to returning to a mainstream luxury brand that actually has quality.
 

mmcartalk

Expert
Messages
4,155
Reactions
2,675
"Woke" young people don't want to buy EVs from their ancient bigoted uncle.


First, it's not a just a question of buying from family members. Young people today often don't have the money for any new vehicle, Tesla or not, EV or not.....particularly with today's sometimes-obscene dealer mark-ups. They are saddled with debt (usually from college), often cannot even afford to move out of their parents' home, and, unlike my (Baby-Boom) generation, saw many of their potential job-opportunities get shipped overseas into cheaper labor markets. Second, you use the term "Bigoted"........which can mean almost anything, depending on how the person using it wants to define or view it. Same with the "Woke" term.
 
Last edited:

LS500-18

Follower
Messages
251
Reactions
353
Tesla gives $7,500 off AND 10,000 free supercharging miles. Their demand has CRATERED like never before. Hopefully they will go bankrupt at some point but it's not likely to be soon. I can see them being bought up by a typical OEM