Tesla’s new price cuts have been so extreme and so unexpected, that some buyers who purchased vehicles recently and have been forced to watch them depreciate significantly (sometimes overnight) have launched impromptu protests in Taiwan and China according to electrek.
One of the sub-plots to Tesla announcing that it would finally be launching its $35,000 Model 3 last week was the announcement that it was also making price and option changes to its Model S and Model X lineup. These changes included a new Model S battery pack and some enormous price drops, including ones up to $12,000 in the United States. This comes on top of price cuts that the company has already twice made so far in 2019. With Musk admitting last week that the company won’t be profitable in Q1 2019, it is obvious that Tesla is trying to keep demand steady, while moves like shutting down all of its retail stores make it obvious that the company is also doing everything it can to cut costs.
Overseas, however, price reductions on some of these models have been even more significant. For instance, the higher end versions of the Model S and the Model X saw overnight price reductions of over $30,000. Also, in Taiwan, the price of a Model S P100D was cut nearly in half by Tesla’s latest price changes, resulting in about $100,000 in savings.
This rightfully angered owners so much that they started to organize and protest at Tesla stores and superchargers.
Did anyone see what’s happening in Taiwan? Taiwan Tesla Owners protesting about the price adjustment outside of the Supercharger Station and Store/Service Centre in Taiwan. Have they solved the issue? @TeslaOwnersTwn #Tesla #TeslaTaiwan $TSLA pic.twitter.com/mIKPFPigAf
— JayinShanghai (@ShanghaiJayin) March 4, 2019
More $tsla protests in China. Banner reads:
Don’t buy a Tesla today, wait and buy it at a discount tomorrow pic.twitter.com/5ZBOxqGKTk— BertelSchmitt™ 🎩🎩🎩🎩🎩 (@BertelSchmitt) March 3, 2019
In China, price reductions have also caused protests, some of which have been reported by the Chinese media.
.@Tesla’s price cut ignited anger among #Chinese buyers, and some are reportedly put up banners at local retailers to #protest the price cuts. pic.twitter.com/LzsHdm3j13
— All Tech Asia (@alltechasianews) March 4, 2019
Global Times reported on one Tesla owner, who stated: “I received Tesla’s Model X on February 25, and I only drove this car for five days before Tesla announced a price reduction of 174,300 yuan ($25,989.87). I’m probably the most unlucky new buyer…That’s unfair.”
While the remaining members of the Musk “cult” continue to defend the company under the guise that all price reductions will be good for Tesla over the course of the long-haul, consumers certainly appear to be feeling rejected by Tesla’s “fly by the seat of its pants” management style. We wonder how long Musk and his gang can keep this line of thinking up before the inevitable protests in the United States start.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2HfvWxN Tyler Durden