Discuss: Tesla is Chasing Short-Term Profits Ahead of Long-Term Loyalty [Opinion]

[Not a Tesla App]

From FSD transfer games and pricing whiplash to the death of the Model S, Tesla's moves suggest a shift away from loyalty in favor of short-term profits.… Read More

Tesla is Chasing Short-Term Profits Ahead of Long-Term Loyalty [Opinion]

From FSD transfer games and pricing whiplash to the death of the Model S, Tesla's moves suggest a shift away from loyalty in favor of short-term profits.

www.notateslaapp.com

 

[PrescottAZRichard]

MO:
This kind of thing happens with all new tech companies (I bet). The more disruptive the more evangelical people are. Then the realities of running a business settle in I guess.
I don't agree that stopping the S & X is chasing short term profits though, they're such a small portion of production and the factory is being converted to Optimus which is definitely a long term investment. A risky one too. A short term version of this would be making more Ys with less features IMO.
Very much agree with the FSD saga. Besides transferring it to a new Tesla they could also consider incentives to HW3 owners to trade in their cars. Then Tesla could use or resell those cars with *no* promise of FSD. Call the current version something else and cap it there with no future expectations of new features.
Adjusting the terms after purchase is wrong, assuming that's what happened. I'm sure some lawyer is salivating at this.
Totally agree with the CT stuff. Cost too much for specs too short of what was 'promised' which is why I cancelled. I'm still confused by the 10 day window, feels like there is a reason behind it that we aren't privy to. Maybe the idea is - at current capacity we can run the CT line full time and fill these orders while being mildly profitable. Hoping that the new 4680 chemistry and maybe other developments that are 'any day now' to arrive will make it even MORE profitable? I dunno.
I also dunno how easy / difficult it is to bring the CT's innovations to the rest of the line, but yeah- there's been a stall in hardware & software. Particularly since 14.2 arrived wrt to software. The only hardware innovations are minor ones on the Y from what I see. The wiper concentrating on the cameras and the braking system (which I don't entirely understand). I guess the side mirror caps are new too on the Y but they look inspired from other cars on the road.
Oh, I guess the 2026 S & X do have new cast aluminum components that make the heating more efficient. My S is crazy efficient, to the point that it's showing bettering wh/mile than the 2024 Y I drove which was also impressive.
Personally, I do not care about track stuff. I'm an efficiency guy. I also think vehicles should stay on pavement, so no comments on the off road CT capability. Except to say- expectations were prolly set by Telsa so that's bad on them.
My service experiences were few but good. The service center kept my car for a week to replace a windshield which should have taken less than a day. The excuse I was given- the replacement glass was already scratched and they waited for a re-replacement. I had a loaner and felt (if that is true) like they were looking out for me as a customer. Communication about all this was fine, I had a loaner, no big deal. As a stock holder I wasn't happy about the wasted glass .
Still, this pivot by Elon to ONLY autonomous driving and cyber taxis hurts. Especially if it is Elon's dogma and not that of the rest of the board / company. Personally I think Tesla would be just fine without Elon, or Elon in a place where he isn't so up front.
Tesla has extended the supercharger network at a fantastic pace. I know that doesn't matter to any particular individual until there's a SC in a location that s/he needs but holy crap- there's a lot of them out there. Service centers have increased in number as well. Sure, we prolly need more.
The whole CC thing was already a distraction (even with the overlap of FSD development) then Optimus which also has overlap. So if anything I think you can see THIS as a short term sacrifice for future synergy (sorry, everyone hates that word by now) which creates crazy efficiency. Oh, and now Tesla has to build an AI chip fab which is also a long term investment. All that is sacrificing short term for long term IMO.
I, too, *really* want to see Tesla lead in specs too- longer range, insane efficiency, faster charging, safer batteries with longer life. Think about some of that- Tesla is still ahead in a lot of ways.
I feel the BEST thing Tesla can do right now- release 14.3 and keep developing it / releasing updates to us. That would string us along for a while

 

[TESLASUPERFAN]

Like I instruct Grok-please limit your responses to 20 words or less-when u exceed, it begins to sound like a rant and activates the dis-interest feature.

One thing I know, Tesla changes their decisions every so often. What u hate today may be gone next month, so many people quitting, new hires, low sales, changing market, tarrifs, etc.

Just roll with it, these might in fact be the good old days when we still got free updates, free trials, times have been and can changing…….Microphone drop.

 

[PrescottAZRichard]

When ignored members quote non-ignored members their response still shows up with the quoted content indicating it was ignored.

Which is weird.

 

[Procal]

I agree with Prescott here. That said, I’ve only been a Tesla owner for about two years. Even so, I had followed the company closely for years before buying one because, to me, it was always that “cool car” I knew I’d eventually want to own.

With that said, I do feel like Tesla as a whole is shifting priorities. That may very well be intentional, but from the outside it doesn’t always look great for consumers, enthusiasts, and long-time supporters. It sometimes feels like they’re investing heavily in their long-term future while at the same time overlooking what helped get them to where they are today—the owners and fans who helped build that momentum in the first place.

For the most part I’ve had a great experience with my Model 3, but it hasn’t been perfect. I’ve definitely noticed the slowdown in software updates that introduce meaningful new features, and the same goes for FSD updates that feel like they’re making real progress. The last few FSD updates have felt more like polishing what already exists, while some frustrating issues linger for months.

Even things that seem relatively simple—like letting us choose whether the car pulls forward or backs into a parking spot—are still missing long after being mentioned in release notes. Smart Summon is another example. In many cases you can walk to your car faster than it comes to you, and the extremely limited range makes it almost unusable in larger parking lots.

The service side of things also leaves a lot to be desired. Based on what was mentioned in the article—long appointment wait times, lengthy repairs, and sometimes no loaner vehicles—that lines up with what many owners experience. There’s also my own personal gripe that some services feel overly expensive, as do certain replacement parts. For example, why does something like an alignment need to cost nearly $300? Or something like a plastic under-tray costing around $400 for just the part, not including installation?

Another thing I’ve always wondered about is Tesla’s reluctance to allow retrofits or paid upgrades, especially if the owner is willing to cover the cost. For example, why can’t I pay to have the front bumper camera installed on my Model 3? Or upgrade to the newer front camera housing that helps prevent fogging and dirt buildup? Maybe even allow camera washers as an option.

The biggest one for me, though, is compute upgrades. I understand that form factor and integration play a role, but at times it feels more like an excuse than a hard limitation.

When you look at it from that perspective, I can see why some people argue Tesla may be leaning too far toward efficiency and cost control right now. None of the issues I mentioned individually are huge deal breakers, but when they start stacking up—slower feature progress, expensive service, limited upgrade paths—it can make owners feel a bit less valued than they used to. And Tesla’s extremely loyal owner base has always been one of its biggest advantages.

At the same time, I understand Tesla is pouring resources into things like autonomy, AI, and robotics, which are clearly long-term plays. But sometimes it also feels like what happens when a company has been at the top for a long time with relatively little competition. When you dominate a space for years, it’s easy to start “resting on your laurels,” as the article mentioned, and assume the loyalty you built will always be there. Hopefully, they don't take that loyalty for granted.

The list could go on, but overall it just feels like Tesla has room to do a better job supporting the owners who helped build the brand.

 

[PrescottAZRichard]

Some of this pain comes from a Tesla car being a combo of tech and car. Cars generally last and are used longer than tech. Think about how long you would expect to keep a Toyota vs an iPhone or laptop. So we get the worst of both worlds- the depreciation of a car and the 'left behind' feeling of aging tech. That's the nature of the beast IMO.