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☆ Some Tesla Cybertruck reservation-holders were underwhelmed by Elon Musk's big launch party – but many say they'll still buy one
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Grace Kay | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It lasted 30 minutes and fans later found the truck had a lower range and higher price on their own. AdvertisementAfter a four-year wait, the official Cybertruck launch party lasted about 30 minutes and left some order-holders wanting more. CEO Elon Musk stood in the bed of the Cybertruck listing off its specs – many of which had been leaked ahead of the launch . Following the launch party, all of the specs and prices for the three Cybertruck variations were posted to Tesla's website. AdvertisementThe Cybertruck launch was always going to be a difficult tightrope for Musk to walk , said Martin French, managing director at automotive consultancy Berylls.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Zack Nelson, Christopher Bowe, there's, Bowe, Nelson, we'd, Elon, Martin French, doesn't, Tesla, Matthew Donegan, Ryan, Donegan, Eric Locke, he's, Locke Organizations: Service, Porsche, Ford, Business, YouTube, nab

☆ Can't afford a Cybertruck? You can get a great deal on any other Tesla right now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cybertruck order holders can get $1,000 off a different Tesla order. Even if the Cybertruck is more expensive, Tesla has the most affordable options right now. AdvertisementIt's a great time to buy anything other than a Cybertruck from Tesla. pic.twitter.com/Q3y0bo302S — Gort (@d4t4wr4ngl3r) December 1, 2023Even if you're not a Cybertruck order holder, you can take advantage of Tesla's year-end deals. Earlier this month, the company slashed prices of the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X but as much as $6,300.

Persons: Tesla, —, It's, Q3y0bo302S —, Elon, Martin French Organizations: Service, Tesla Locations: Q3y0bo302S — Gort, @d4t4wr4ngl3r

☆ Ford is losing dealers' trust after a rocky year for the EV transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly half of Ford dealers said they have "no trust" in their franchise in new survey. Ford dealers have had a tough year balancing EV demand. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's been a tough year for Ford dealers, and it's becoming clear some are losing patience. Ford came in dead last in a recent survey on dealers' level of trust in their franchises, with 46% of Ford dealers surveyed by Kerrigan Advisors saying they had "no trust" in their franchise. This breakdown in trust and pessimism about the future shouldn't come as too much of a surprise after the year Ford dealers have had.

Persons: Ford, —, Kerrigan, Elon Musk, Cameron Johnson, Martin French Organizations: Ford, Service, Kerrigan Advisors, Survey, Magic City Auto Group, Nissan, Lincoln, Toyota, Lexus, Subaru Locations: Virginia

☆ One of Tesla's top Chinese competitors reportedly expected to lay off employees as it eyes the US market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Reorganization at Nio comes as the company eyes the US market. AdvertisementAdvertisementBig changes are in store for Chinese electric car company Nio, one of Tesla's biggest rivals in the world's largest vehicle market. News of layoffs and reorganization at Nio come as the Shanghai-based company eyes US EV sales by 2025 . Chinese car companies have often eyed the US market, but none have yet made a big splash in the highly competitive market. Years of growth in the US EV market is showing signs of slowing, and US manufacturers are pulling back on big electric vehicle production promises.

Persons: —, Elon, Nio, Tesla, haven't, Martin French Organizations: TechCrunch, Service, US, EV, US EV, Shanghai, Ford, GM Locations: Shanghai, Nio

☆ Americans are so anxious about going electric that they're willing to pay up for hybrids
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile car companies try desperately to gin up demand for their latest electric models, consumers are begging for a compromise: hybrids. In the auto industry, the same logic applies to hybrids, which can provide a more convenient bridge to full EV adoption. Hybrid revolutionThis need for hybrids isn't new. Ford said this week it would postpone $12 billion in new EV investment as the company assesses demand going forward.

Persons: isn't, —, –, they're, Chris Harto, Harto, Akio Toyoda, Cameron Johnson, Ford, Martin French Organizations: Industry, Service, Consumer, EVs, Auto, Consumer Reports, Toyota, Dealers, Magic City Auto Group, Honda Locations: Edmunds, Virginia

☆ The auto industry overestimated EV demand this year. Now companies are scrambling.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The EV segment has enjoyed a long period of exponential growth. AdvertisementAdvertisementCar companies talk a big game about the transition to electric cars. He currently has enough electric cars to last for 100 days across all brands. Though the EV share of some automakers' businesses is small, the EV segment has been enjoying a long period of exponential growth. And without more affordable options, dealers told Insider they are running out of customers to pitch their electric cars to.

Persons: carmakers, EVs, —, Ford, General Motors, it's, It's, Vince Sheehy, " Sheehy, Cameron Johnson, Sheehy, Tesla, Eric Freshee, Stewart Stropp, Power, Stropp, Martin French Organizations: Service, General, Ford, Hyundai, Volkswagen, GMC, Magic City Auto Group, ICE, EV, Tamaroff Locations: Volta, Washington, D.C, Virginia, headwinds, Midwest, EVs

☆ Automakers are facing an uphill battle as inventory piles up and workers threaten to go on strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After a few years of smooth-sailing, Detroit automakers are coming up against several challenges. A possible UAW strike, supply chain hurdles, and inventory building up threaten carmakers' peace. The peace that Detroit automakers have had over the past several months is getting interrupted — and car buyers and investors should brace themselves. Between dealer tensions, a potential United Auto Workers strike, and parts makers struggling, automakers face a rough time ahead. Second, Detroit 3 union workers are gearing up for a strikeA strike could threaten those companies' success in the latter half of the year.

Persons: carmakers, COVID, Ford, Martin French, Kelley, Peter Maithel Organizations: UAW, Morning, Detroit, Dealers, United Auto Workers, Cox Automotive, Chrysler, Dodge, GM, GMC, Buick, EV, Ford, Deutsche Bank Locations: Detroit

☆ Elon Musk doesn't care that Tesla values are tanking — but it could drive buyers to Ford and GM
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Used Tesla values are down 30% year-over-year, according to firm Recurrent. Used Tesla values have dropped dramatically from last year as the company continues to slash prices and flood the market with more new cars. That's because resale value hasn't been the biggest priority for Tesla buyers so far. There are a few reasons for that: Tesla buyers are loyal to the company. The Tesla dynamics benefit more EV-buyersIn the meantime, Tesla is forcing the EV market to become more affordable for mainstream buyers — a noticeable impact especially in the used EV space.

Persons: Tesla, Liz Najman, Tesla's, It's, Stephen Beck, Beck, Martin French, Najman Organizations: Morning, Elon, EV Locations: EVs

☆ Teslas are cheaper than ever — and that's creating a headache for the entire auto industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Nora Naughton | Graham Rapier | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

You can now get a Tesla Model Y for cheaper than the average car. Tesla's price war is spilling over out of the electric vehicle market as Elon Musk's car company continues to slash prices. Add on the $7,500 EV tax credit, and you can now purchase a Model Y for around $42,500. To make things even worse for competitors, all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles now qualify for the full tax credit, too. As a strategy for boosting demand, Tesla's price cuts appeared to be working in the first quarter, reporting a 36% increase in deliveries during that period.

Persons: Tesla, Price, Edmunds, Martin French, They've, Musk, We've Organizations: Tesla, Elon, Ford, GM, EV

☆ Say goodbye to the US car market as we know it: Cheap Chinese EVs are coming
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nora Naughton | Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

After years of eyeing the American market, Chinese brands are poised to arrive. After years of preparation, Chinese car companies are poised to upend the US electric-vehicle market. Chinese EV manufacturers can gain a foothold in the US by coming in at a budget price point, analysts said. "I've driven a number of the Chinese EV brands, and boy oh boy, the Europeans are in trouble." The sheer size of the US car market means new entrants will need to build locally to compete seriously in the long term, he said.

The unboxed assembly process is intended to enable Tesla to hit that ambitious price target. Several big questions loom: What sort of impact will Tesla's process have on the auto industry overall? Body panels are painted separately, then joined together toward the end of the assembly process. If everything works as planned, the unboxed process could rewrite the industry's standard playbook and practices. Oba worked previously for the Toyota Production System Support Center, a division that helps the automaker's suppliers and others implement TPS.

☆ Tesla's price cuts and hikes explained: Why it seems like Elon Musk can't make up his mind on pricing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The latest price hikes could mean Tesla is done lathering on the discounts for now. Elon Musk is changing his mind about Tesla pricing – again. Recent hikes are a sign to investors that Musk is likely done price-slashing for now. Even with this hike, base Model Y prices are down 24% since January and base Model 3 prices are down 14% over the same period. "When you lease, you can really bypass a lot of the problems that come with pricing," Drury said.

☆ Elon Musk isn't giving up on his price war, and it's making Tesla investors anxious
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla's profits took a hit in Q1 thanks to price cuts. Margins are now 'keeping Tesla investors up at night,' Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said. "Margins are now a delicate issue that are keeping Tesla investors up at night," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a Thursday note to clients. Elon says he knows what he's doingWhile some investors angst over Tesla's price cuts, Musk defended the company's strategy in a call with analysts after earnings were released Wednesday evening. "We've taken a view that pushing for higher volumes and a larger fleet is the right choice here, versus a lower volume and higher margin," Musk said.

☆ Teslas are cheaper than ever and its a creating a headache for the entire auto industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla's price war is spilling over out of the electric vehicle market as Elon Musk's car company continues to slash prices. For example, after Tesla's latest price reductions last week in the US, the Model Y now starts at $46,990. In addition to price reductions, Tesla has been dangling special offers like free charging for new customers. As a strategy for boosting demand, Tesla's price cuts appeared to be working in the first quarter, reporting a 36% increase in deliveries during that period. "I expect if there is a hit to margins, Tesla will be ready with a clear roadmap back to their world-beating margins," he said.

☆ The EV revolution has never felt farther away as inflation, rocky supply chains, and Tesla threaten billions of dollars of investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In the United States, automakers face major headwinds as they look to establish an all-new EV supply chain, catch Tesla, and win over skeptical buyers — all on top of an increasingly negative economic backdrop. The extent of China's role in the EV supply chain, including with lithium, is coming to light. "The epicenter of where minerals reside, where processing resides, where EV production resides, all are outside of the US," Douglas Kent, EVP of corporate and strategic alliances at the Association for Supply Chain Management, said. Tesla was long past the worst of its production snafus by the time other automakers got serious about EVs. By the time other automakers got serious about EVs, Tesla was long past its biggest manufacturing snafus and profitability challenges.

☆ The tech layoff contagion is hitting automakers — but it's not like what's happening at Google, Meta, and Microsoft
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the downsizing wave hitting the automotive industry isn't quite the same as the one plaguing tech giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft. Silicon Valley takes a lesson from DetroitLayoffs and buyouts are nothing new to the automotive industry, especially in the last few years. In French's view, the tech industry is taking a page from Detroit's playbook as it trims its ranks this year. He's skeptical of claims that tech companies are already victims of an economic downturn, and instead believes these companies are bracing for the worst before a true "bloodbath." "Tech companies are taking the lead from what automotive companies have done in the past and trying to brace for that downturn before it really hits."

☆ How Rivian went from Wall Street darling to another struggling EV startup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Alexa St. John | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Another Rivian customer told Insider they placed a reservation last July. A Rivian spokesperson told Insider that timing is "based on a number of factors, including delivery location, configuration and original preorder or reservation date." The Rivian spokesperson told Insider Scaringe's language refers to "how we deliver over the long term." An employee laid off in Rivian's first round of cuts last summer told Insider it felt like growing pains many other companies have experienced. Are you a current or former Rivian employee, Rivian vehicle owner, or Rivian order-holder?

☆ How Elon Musk Ruined Tesla, Let Other Car Companies Catch up on EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"I feel stupid driving around with my brand-new Tesla Model Y," Mark told me. Tesla spent the past two decades defying expectations and disrupting the automotive industry, but in 2023 the once revolutionary car company did the seemingly unthinkable: It turned fanboys against it. But after years of rocketing ahead of legacy car companies' tech, the futuristic guts of Tesla's vehicles have started to go stale. Companies like Ford and Audi are changing their sales strategies to model Tesla's innovative direct-sales style. These companies have something Musk doesn't: nationwide networks of brick-and-mortar locations where customers can have their vehicles serviced and repaired.

☆ Former Wall Street darling Rivian suddenly has a lot to prove
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Alexa St. John | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

☆ Why Silicon Valleys massive layoffs haven't hit Detroit automakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The auto industry could benefit from tech layoffs. But the auto industry doesn't need to undergo massive cuts — mostly because they already have over the past few years. Tech companies, meanwhile, had enjoyed a decade of unmitigated growth thanks to low interest rates and a flood of new investor money. "Legacy auto is underpopulated in order to fully go after the future of mobility — primarily, electrification, batteries, and software." The auto industry could benefit from tech layoffsWhile tech sheds thousands of jobs, automakers are desperate for workers.

☆ Tech giants have cut tens of thousands of jobs. Automakers are ready to hire them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the auto industry doesn't need to undergo massive cuts — mostly because they already have over the past few years. Tech companies, meanwhile, had enjoyed a decade of unmitigated growth thanks to low interest rates and a floor of new investor money. As these companies enter a new phase and a different economy, the tech industry is experiencing its first real belt-tightening. The auto industry could benefit from tech layoffsWhile tech sheds thousands of jobs, automakers are desperate for workers. "The war for talent in the automotive industry is still raging and the talent pool is still relatively small."

☆ Elon Musk calmed anxious Tesla investors by acting like a normal CEO for once
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Investors went into Tesla's earnings announcement Wednesday feeling trepidation, especially given signs the CEO was distracted by a series of gaffes at Twitter. But Musk quelled these fears with solid fourth-quarter results, a confident outlook for the year, and a dose of normalcy. Musk addresses demand worriesOn a call with investors following fourth quarter results, Musk addressed the demand worries head-on. "Tesla investors were worried that Musk wasn't focused," Beck told Insider. But investors left the earnings call yesterday reassured that Musk can manage both companies at once, said Darrell Martin, CEO of Apex Trader Funding.

☆ GM's trying to fix the worst part of buying an electric car by turning an old Target into a new kind of call center
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"EV Live" is a way to supplement dealers, not replace them, GM says. To win them over, GM is helping new EV owners and potential buyers understand the quirks and nuances of the tech-heavy vehicles — by directing them to a call center. GM's specialists don't just help GM buyers. In fact, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, EV Live saw a surge in calls from non-GM owners, Hassani told Insider. That's why EV Live has added training for dealers since it opened.

☆ Insiders say morale 'sucks' at electric-vehicle startups like Rivian and Lucid — and it could be a death blow for struggling Tesla wannabes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-01 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

As EV startups face a storm of troubles, many employees say they're losing faith in the mission. "They kept saying, 'Tesla, Tesla, the next Tesla,'" a now former supervisor at the electric-vehicle startup said. Canoo has lost several key leaders, as have Xos, Lucid, and others. Some current and former startup workers said they had a continued appetite for industry opportunities. Are you a current or former EV startup employee?

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