Elon Musk went off against the media in a way that has to remind some of President Trump.
On May 23rd, he tweeted the various:
The holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie, is why the public no longer respects them.
Problem is journos are under constant pressure to get max clicks & earn advertising dollars or get fired. Tricky situation, as Tesla doesn’t advertise, but fossil fuel companies & gas/diesel car companies are among world’s biggest advertisers.
Going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication. Thinking of calling it Pravda.
The first tweet I assume is against the barrage of bad news that seems to be hitting Tesla: potential need for additional cash, the Consumer Report review of the Model 3, and maybe even reports on various Tesla accidents. I suppose the accident that happened in Northern California where a Tesla ended up in a pond, drowning the driver got on Musk's nerves. To me, that one could very well have been driver error -- as in driving way too fast. Of course, we'll find out eventually what caused the accidennt.
The second tweet seems to imply that if Tesla spent more money on advertising, journalists would go easier on the company.
The third tweet feels like something President Trump would like to do.
I wonder if these tweets will cause a negative impact to Tesla's brand image. Having folks think Trump and Musk, can't be good.
Tesla: Consumer Report
As mentioned above, Consumer Report had a problem with the Model 3. Via Forbes:
Consumer Reports this week said this week it could not recommend the car based on the magazine’s testing of the car because of “hard-to-use” controls and long stopping distances due to insufficient braking power . . . “The Tesla’s stopping distance of 152 feet from 60 mph was far worse than any contemporary car we’ve tested and about 7 feet longer than the stopping distance of a Ford F-150 full-sized pickup,” Consumer Reports says of the Model 3.
I didn't do all that well in my science classes, but shouldn't a car be able to stop before a Ford F-150? Something to do with weight, maybe. It was reported in the article that Tesla plans to put out a firmware update. The article asks why didn't they put out the firmware update to the cars being tested. My question is: did Tesla develop the firmware update after the findings?
Tesla: Model 3 Base Price - NOT
It was also announced that Tesla will not be producing the Model 3 base price anytime soon.
From an Elon Musk tweet (May 20th):
With production, 1st you need achieve target rate & then smooth out flow to achieve target cost. Shipping min cost Model 3 right away wd cause Tesla to lose money & die. Need 3 to 6 months after 5k/wk to ship $35k Tesla & live.
Okay, doesn't that tweet imply that Tesla has a potential cash problems?
Via CNN Money:
Of course, being a luxury brand isn't actually a bad thing. Luxury cars are prestigious and more profitable than mass market products. That's why General Motors (GM), Ford (F) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FIADF) are working so hard to breathe life into Cadillac, Lincoln and Alfa Romeo, respectively. And until Tesla starts selling cars that the masses truly can afford, it should be categorized right along with those brands, firmly in the "luxury" camp.
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