Tesla Adjusts Prices Upward in Several Markets Amid Dynamic Pricing Strategy

Tesla has once again adjusted their prices in various markets

Tesla

Tesla Inc. has recently adjusted its pricing strategy, increasing the prices of its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Canada, China, Japan, and the United States. This change comes after a series of price reductions for the automaker's most popular models since the beginning of the year. Following the announcement, Tesla's shares experienced a nearly 2% increase in early trading.

Adopting a flexible approach, Tesla aims to match deliveries with output

In a shift from traditional fixed pricing models, Tesla has embraced a more dynamic approach similar to that of the airline and ride-sharing industries. The company's CEO, Elon Musk, revealed last month that Tesla's focus is currently on sales growth, with plans to generate profits later through the development and implementation of self-driving software on a larger scale.

With this strategy in mind, Tesla has tried to balance sales volume with margin sacrifices, intending to raise prices where necessary to align vehicle deliveries with production output better.

As a result, Tesla has raised the starting price for its base model Model Y and Model 3 in the United States by $250. Similar price adjustments were also made in China, Canada, and Japan. This is the first instance of a price increase for the Model 3 in the US since January.

Price Still Lower than the Start of the Year

Despite these recent price increases, the rear-wheel-drive Model 3 remains around 14% cheaper in the United States than it was at the beginning of the year. Additionally, the long-range version of the Model Y is approximately 24% less expensive in Tesla's largest market.

Analysts suggest that these price adjustments reflect Tesla's evolving pricing strategy and are unlikely to significantly impact the company's gross margins, which reached a two-year low in the first quarter. As Tesla continues to refine its pricing strategy and prioritize sales growth, the company aims to maintain its position as a dominant player in the electric vehicle market while pursuing long-term profitability through its autonomous software.

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Tesla Cuts Newly Formed Content and Ads Team, Musk says Ads Were “Too Generic”

Tesla eliminated a newly formed marketing team of about 40 employees as part of its global layoffs, Bloomberg reported on Monday morning. On X, Elon Musk said the ads created by the team were “far too generic” adding that they would apply to “any car”.

Exactly. The ads were far too generic – could’ve been any car.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2024

The team was led by Alexander Ingram who joined Tesla in August 2019 as Communication lead for Automotive. After a few different roles connected with content and social media, Ingram was promoted last December to Senior Manager of Global Growth Content. In the new role, he was leading a global team of creatives focused on Tesla's first ads, as well as social media.

Ingram put out some excellent behind-the-scenes videos on Tesla’s technological advancements such as the one below explaining Tesla’s single casting.

Tesla’s Advertisement Strategy

At Tesla’s 2023 annual meeting of shareholders, Elon Musk said that the company would “try a little advertising and see how it goes”. Since then, Tesla ads have been seen in Google search results and on YouTube.

In Tesla’s proxy statement filed last week, it is seen that the automaker has spent around $200,000 on X-advertising through February 2024.

“As part of a multi-platform advertising campaign, Tesla also directly or indirectly purchased advertising on X, which totaled approximately $0.2 million through February 2024”

Bloomberg’s source added that Tesla still has a smaller marketing team in Europe.

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Tesla Is Ending Its Current Referral Program; New Version Will Arrive in “A Few Months”

Tesla's Referral Program

Not a Tesla App

Tesla shared on X that it’s ending its current referral program globally by the end of April. It’ll be replaced by a new one, but that is still “a few months away”, according to CEO Elon Musk.

When Musk was asked if the current credits would be lost, Musk responded by saying “No, just that new credits would not be earned until we launch a future referral program.” That means there’ll be a gap of a couple of months when owners will not be able to earn referral credits.

Tesla was always famous for relying on its community to promote its vehicles rather than spending millions (or even billions) in ad campaigns.

Through Tesla’s referral program — which started back in 2015— customers have been earning referral credits by having friends use their referral link when ordering a Tesla product or taking their first demo drive. At the time, it started with a direct $1,000 prize for the referrer but later evolved to a more complex system with different tiers and points.

Prizes have changed a lot over the years

In its latest version, scheduled to end by the end of the month, Tesla models (S, X, and Y), along with Powerwall, solar panels, and solar roofs, are available for purchase using a referral link. In this version, owners can redeem credits from merchandise to software upgrades for their vehicles. They can even redeem credits for several months free of Premium Connectivity or FSD.

Our current referral program benefits will end after April 30 in all markets

— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) April 20, 2024

The Evolution of the Referral Program

Tesla’s first referral program was released in July 2015 where customers who referred new buyers would receive $1,000 for every new Tesla Model S delivered. For those who were able to accrue 5 or 10 referrals for the US automaker, Tesla raised the bar and offered invitations to the opening of its Giga Factories or even a fully loaded Model X.

Over the first 2 years, Tesla significantly increased the value of the prizes and even offered free or discounted Roadsters with enough referrals. However, in 2019, Elon Musk decided to stop amid cost concerns.

The referral program was re-launched in late 2019 offering new buyers free supercharging for a period of time, FSD access, premium connectivity, or $500 off a new vehicle.

What’s Next

Given the considerable gap of “a few months” between the current program and the next one, it is expected that Tesla will bring a new structure with updated awards focused on minimizing Tesla’s cost while increasing the brand’s awareness.

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