Tesla cancels all right-hand drive orders for Model S and X
arstechnica.com
arstechnica.com
You would think that with all the fancy FSD smarts these cars have, it wouldn't matter anymore whether it' RHD or LHD, as all the cameras and CPUs they have on board, could surely be able to let you know when it's safe to overtake and when not.
People don't want the hassle. But they're getting refunded, plus they're getting a good deal on a model 3 or Y. Some of them might choose to take the deal, some might not, but the customers are being taken care of.
It’s not just the ticket machines, the UK also has a lot of narrow country roads that are difficult enough to drive in a RHD, I cannot imagine driving a LHD in UK it would be hell on earth.
Perhaps, unlike tourists driving RHD cars, they're much more able to kiss the hedge on the narrow roads there without fear when other cars have to pass.
Have you considered which side of the road they drive on?
Tesla is moving extremely fast to maximize their use of Build Back Better credits. Even though this plan was pushed by GM and Ford (and opposed by Tesla, and as far as I know Tesla was not even invited to the discussions), Tesla will end up being the biggest beneficiary because of how fast and nimbly they're moving.
The manufacturer incentives apply regardless. For consumers, if they want a Model X or S, all they have to do is register it as a commercial vehicle and they get a $7500 tax credit. This is what consumers already do to buy a Chevrolet Suburban or G Wagon.
It isn't cost cutting in the traditional sense because it is the same production line and the same employees. They're just not having to reconfigure the production line to RHD, then reconfigure it back to normal.
and these are the expensive models, a tiny number of them would be sold there.
The cheaper models, 3/Y will continue to be sold.
Also you do understand that if there was actually the possibility for lots of sales, they could just reintroduce it again later. Its not like they have categorically lost the ability to make RHD models.
It's a small market for foreign cars, which have a huge import duty slapped on them. Indians love buying Tatas, Mahindras, Maruti Suzukis, and locally-built Hyundais and Hondas.
That being said, this was the right move for Tesla. Tesla is not suited for the Indian road currently, and X and S are pricey even without the import tax even for upper class Indian standards, so it doesn't make sense making for India. That being said, I'm surprised they haven't been able to crack the Japanese market.
It's rare to see Mercedeses or BMWs outside of the wealthiest parts of even Chennai, for instance. I don't think a small-towner in a second- or third-tier city is going for a C-class that would be worth several years' salary, even as a software engineer.
Indians might want to buy German luxury cars, but whether they can afford to actually buy them and whether they actually buy them is a different story altogether.
As for Chennai, it's a different story. In my experience, rich Tamilians tend to flaunt wealth less prominently as a cultural trait, unless you're talking nouveau riche politicians and entertainment industry people. I've met Tamilians all over the world and they have consistently been comparatively down-to-earth in terms of material wealth. An old friend's dad was a producer for several Rajnikanth movies, yet he drove around in a Hyundai.
> we have one of the most affluent districts in the country
You're still sort of cherry-picking a single (wealthy) district out of hundreds in the rest of India. Whether said district was wealthy thirty years ago or not is irrelevant, and I stand by my point: luxury cars are in general rare in India, and I was speaking generally.
There are 1.4 billion Indians, and the overwhelming majority of them cannot really afford a German luxury car.
The majority of Indians may not be able to afford a luxury car, but still taking 0.1% of the population / 4 (for the average family size) gives 250k, which is still a sizeable luxury market.
Different areas react to wealth in different ways, some flaunt it and burn it, others plod along doing what they’ve always done.
Tesla’s best bet right now to “sell hundreds of millions of teslas” are the Y and 3.
Just for the fun imagine how frustrated should be this customer: Ars was contacted by a reader from New Zealand who ordered a right-hand drive Model X SUV almost three years ago because Tesla reached out to him yesterday to cancel his order
Because I would say that he deserves it by being a fool buying from Tesla in the first place.