Is Tesla's reputation ruined? It depends on who you ask

https://electrek.co/2024/05/06/tesla-reputation-ruined-it-depends-on-who-you-ask/

by peutetre • 2 years ago

10 14 2 years ago

Tesla's reputation is a combination of multiple factors.

Tesla the Supercharger network is ruined, after the mass firing event from last week. No one can seriously tell me that the Supernetwork network will remain maintained and clean for the medium and long term anymore, everyone's been fired and no plans are in place for long-term maintenance.

Tesla the car took some hits due to how bad the Cybertruck rollout has been, but that's par-for-the-course. Everyone paying attention knows that Tesla is wonky and hype-based, so I don't think much has changed on that front.

Tesla the stock is down in a year when most other stocks are up. That's clearly a direct relationship to the reputation of the stock.

nytesky• 2 years ago

The value of TSLA stock has little to do with fundamentals for many years now. It’s a cult of retail investors, “reputation” seems like a strong word to describe what they value.

Sohcahtoa82• 2 years ago

I own a Model 3 Performance that I bought in 2019. I think it's a great car. Would I buy another Tesla? No. Would I buy another EV? Absolutely, as long as it uses NACS.

My reasons have nothing to do with recalls. tbh, I think the worry about recalls is blown way out of proportion by the media. One of the recent recalls was because some of the icons were deemed to be too small. I absolutely rolled my eyes at how much of a media frenzy there was over it, but "TESLA RECALLS 3 MILLION VEHICLES" makes for great headlines, I guess.

My issue with Tesla, and why I wouldn't buy another, is two-fold: First, they have a very poor reputation for build quality and then follow it up with bad service. My car has been rock solid, but I recognize other people have not been so lucky, and getting Tesla service to fix their car can be like pulling teeth. Second, I don't like the direction they've gone with some design. Eliminating stalks in favor of using the touch screen or touch-buttons on the steering wheel is just terrible design.

My wife owns a CRV and wants a Model Y. If she actually decides to buy a new car, I'll probably push her towards a Honda Prologue.

dragontamer2• 2 years ago

Absolutely, as long as it uses NACS.

What are your thoughts on the mass layoffs of the entirety of the Tesla Supercharging team?

It looks like the writing is on the wall for the NACS charger, at least its biggest deployment of superchargers across the USA (Tesla's network).

buffington3• 2 years ago

I'm not the GP, but I can tell you how I felt: WTF.

The Tesla Supercharger network is by the far the best thing about the car. There was a period of time when I was doing some very long trips in my Model 3 - dozens of cross country trips over the course of about 2 years. I never once encountered a Tesla charger that didn't just work. Never. We're talking hundreds of charging sessions.

The non-Tesla chargers? I learned real quick that they work only about 20% of the time. They're either broken, won't accept payment, require apps that are too old to work on modern phones, etc, etc. That's even if they're there. About a third of the time, the chargers that should be there aren't.

I honestly don't know how non-Tesla owners do it today. Does Rivian have a good charging network?

buffington3• 2 years ago

Kind of in the same boat. The car I own is rock solid, and the one mobile repair I needed was done within hours of me having put in the request.

The guy also repaired something else he spotted, which I appreciated, but it got me thinking about how the people who put my car together will never know about that there's something they might be able to fix before cars ever roll off the line. The guy said "I see these on every car I service, and just hit 'em. I don't bother with paperwork," when I asked if he'd add a line item for the secondary repair.

It's things like this where I think Tesla stumbles. The repair guys shrug didn't sell confidence - it shrank it for me. If they're brushing off the little stuff, what else don't they care about? It just felt sloppy.

To be fair though, it's about 5% that, and 95% Musk that turn me off of Tesla right now. I live in a very "red" state, and a stranger in the parking lot the other day barked out "how's it feel to be Musk's bitch." Words don't hurt, sure, but the guy might have had a point.

stephenitis2• 2 years ago

very poor reputation for build quality and then follow it up with bad service.
My car has been rock solid

anecdotal evidence is very warped in Tesla land, most forum surfaces people having problems rather than people happily enjoying their cars, the media has also been reporting on every detail of tesla like a hawk giving this perception in my opinion.

I'm willing to change my opinion on data that looks not just at tesla but tesla compared to other car manufacturers

buffington3• 2 years ago

I bought a used Tesla before things got crazy during the pandemic, and for a while there was certain my next car would again be a Tesla.

Lately though, despite knowing it's not 100% rational, I simply can't. If Musk were out of the picture, maybe I'd be a customer again, but because he's involved, I won't even entertain it. Again, not 100% rational. Real, non-Musk people bust ass there and made a car I really enjoy owning and using daily.

But there's a non zero chance that Musk fully loses his marbles, takes Tesla private, and bricks everyone's Teslas overnight over some petty slight to his ego. Likely, I doubt it. Possible? Yes.

randycupertino• 2 years ago

I would say yes. There is no way I would ever purchase something with Musk as the CEO. He's just too problematic.

It's crazy to me he would go out of his way to alienate his customer base over something as divisive as politics. PR 101. Bonkers.

KorematsuFredt• 2 years ago

I personally don't care about Musk's reputation. I was hoping that the Model 3 prices will go down and the build quality go up. In my opinion it is simply not worth $40K or so.

TacticalCoder• 2 years ago

I was hoping that the Model 3 prices will go down and the build quality go up. In my opinion it is simply not worth $40K or so.

I'd say the Model 3 is OK for its price. It's the Model S' price that is outrageous compared to its build quality / material used for the interior. A Model S or Model S Plaid with options is in luxury car territory price-wise and yet its interior is not anywhere near luxury.

And I find the Model S good looking FWIW. And I admire Tesla for the quality of its batteries.

ado__dev• 2 years ago

For me it is. I happily bought a Model 3 back in 2018 and have been generally happy with the purchase.

It was a great introduction to EV's and I can safely say, I never want to go back to a gas car, but my next car will 99.999% not be a Tesla.

What ruined Tesla for me as a brand over the last 6 years was a constant overpromise, underdeliver mentality. When I bought my car, FSD was right around the corner, or so Elon said. 6 years later, FSD is still right around the corner. Realistically, I didn't really expect Tesla to achieve Level 5 autonomy, but the fact that it's still presented as such has left a sour taste for me. Service has been awful the entire time I've had the car (luckily I haven't had that many service visits, but each time it was painful).

In 2018, the Tesla Model 3 was very much the best EV on the road and even today, it holds up pretty well, but today there is much more competition and very competitive offerings in the EV space from other car makers. Tesla seems to have stopped all innovation on their cars, and for that reason, I'm no longer interested. Personally, I have reserved a Rivian R2, and I have no doubt that my Model 3 can last till 2026.

stephenitis2• 2 years ago

I bought a model y, it sucks but I can't see myself going with another electric car company for awhile, everything just works

rsynnott• 2 years ago

When I leased this Model 3, I felt excited and proud

People are so weird about cars. _Proud_, really?

Is Tesla's reputation ruined? It depends on who you ask

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