2022 Tesla Model Y Performance on 2040-cars

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BYD CEO calls Tesla a rich man's toy, not worried about competition

We've heard the comment, "the Tesla Model S is a rich man's toy" before. Usually it comes from a Cranky McCrankster-type of character in the Comments beneath posts about the all-electric automobile. Not everyone sees the utility of an expensive car that can seat up to seven, run with Corvettes and only gets 265 miles on a charge. We get that, sort of, and everyone's entitled to their opinion. It's a bit odd, though, hearing the remark fall from the lips of Wang Chuanfu, however. BYD Auto's CEO made the comment – well, he said it in Chinese and it's been translated this way by the International Business Times – in an interview with Shanghai Securiites News, along with mentioning that he expects the California automaker to only capture a very small percentage of the Chinese market. That last bit is a fair point, though a tiny chunk of that burgeoning market could still mean a lot of sales. Tesla has intimated its hopes for at least 10,000 takers in its first year of operation in China and says its Beijing location is its biggest and most bustling. As for Chuanfu's comment, Tesla gave AutoblogGreen a simple, "no comment." BYD, of course, sells its e6 electric sedan in its home country and its sales might not even reach the 10,000 level, despite being more affordable and boasting a respectable 186-mile range. Mr. Chuanfu expects bigger things for it Qin plug-in hybrid, which rings up at $31,000 and offers 41 miles of battery-powered range before the gasoline engine kicks in. China wants 500,000 plug-in vehicles plying its streets by 2015's end and BYD wants to be a big part of that picture. While we can understand the competitive downplaying of Tesla's Chinese-market entrance, we expect that BYD is as well aware as anyone that Tesla has a more affordable future car on the horizon and that Chinese car buyers tend to favor foreign brands. It's a big market, though, so perhaps the two entities might help further each other's goals by cooperating on charging standards and infrastructure development instead of sniping. One can dream, right?

Saleen hints at tuning Tesla Model S

Saleen has been dropping breadcrumbs about its plans to develop a modified version of the Tesla Model S for a while now, and has finally released the first renderings that show off its changes to the electric sedan.
The four renderings indicate a comprehensive makeover for Saleen's Tesla. The front bumper is completely different with the absence of a grille and new louvered air intakes at the corners. The turn signals on the quarter panel appear to be open now, and the hood has new creases angled toward the center. One of the renderings promises an additional carbon fiber rear diffuser, carbon-ceramic brakes and carbon fiber deckled trim. The rear also has a larger spoiler and more aggressive rear bumper with brake cooling ducts at the corners. The interior appears relatively untouched, but the seats and much of the upholstery has been covered in a mix of leather and Alcantara.
Previously, Saleen promised to amp up the Model S' performance even farther, but it still hasn't gone into detail about what it's changing or how much it is going to cost. "I fully intend to produce one of the most compelling Tesla's to ever hit the roadway," said Steve Saleen, company founder and CEO in an earlier statement. We have contacted Saleen for more details about its plans for the Model S, and we'll update this story when we hear back.

Elon Musk has a secret weapon to increase Model S demand

Tesla Motors has a bit of a reputation for not being as transparent as some would like. So, when the end of the fiscal quarter arrives, there's always a lot of interest in the financial statements the company is obligated to release. But the info and insights don't just flow from its official 8K filing. The automaker also holds a conference call that sees CEO Elon Musk, CTO JB Straubel and Chief Financial Officer Deepak Ahuja taking questions from assorted financial analysts for an hour or so. It's here that we often learn interesting details behind the numbers, as well as hints of what's to come, sandwiched between quotable quotes from Musk. This week's call, following the release of 2014 fourth quarter financial results, certainly didn't disappoint. When asked by a Barclay's representative how much money Tesla will put towards capital expenditures over the next several years, for example, the irrepressible Musk said the company was "going to spend staggering amounts." This, of course, makes sense when you consider the massive amount of work the outfit has already bit off and has begun chewing. There's the production preparation for the Model X, a multi-billion dollar battery "gigafactory" under construction, the growing of its store and service center infrastructure along with its Supercharger network, and Model 3 development. Still, the gleeful tone, when discussing the spending of billions of dollars, seems contrary to what one might expect during such a call. But, it's also part of what keeps these teleconferences from being a total snooze fest. That, and the unexpected mention of new products and candid discussion of challenges. Speaking of challenges, the situation in China was probably the biggest thing on most minds of company followers and was addressed early. Tesla's sales have been surprisingly lackluster there and Musk was quick to admit that, "we didn't execute on China super well last year" relaying how its sales team was actually telling potential customers it might be difficult for them to charge. He balanced out the bad news with the consolation that even if it had of delivered more in the territory, it wouldn't have affected this financial statement much, since the Model S is production-constrained, and any slack in one market is made up by demand in others. He did, though, make it clear that he expects things in the People's Republic to improve and to "be in good shape by the end of the year." What else did we learn from the call?