Tesla is looking to score thanks to its Super Bowl surge. For the past couple of years, Tesla sales have substantially increased following the big game - despite not advertising. Now, as the king of the EV sector has started social media marketing, it has to get aggressive to cash in on that extra attention.
No Model Y Refresh This Year
With any campaign, the talking points must be sent out beforehand. Tesla has reported to its delivery advisors to not expect a Model Y refresh this year, at least in North America. The memo that was sent out, according to Teslascope, states:
“We heard your feedback that some customers are waiting to place their Model Y order as they anticipate a refresh similar to Model 3. It is important that we communicate transparently that there is no refresh for Model Y launching this year. There is no better time for customers to start driving the world's best-selling vehicle. “
Evidently, the company has taken insights from the Highland rollout to heart. When word spread of the imminent Highland release, sales of the previous model dipped significantly. Quashing rumors is a shrewd move, yet the challenge remains: how will Tesla safeguard against the leaks that stripped the Highland launch of its element of surprise?
Model Y Goes on Sale
Tesla has strategically reduced the prices of the Model Y, signaling an aggressive push to boost sales. For the rest of February 2024, customers can enjoy a $1,000 discount on the Model Y RWD and Long Range models. Tesla has also rolled out enticing incentives, such as free Full Self-Driving transfers, lifetime free Supercharging for early adopters, and additional discounts for early Cybertruck reservation holders.
Tesla investor Gary Black pointed out the potential missed opportunity for Tesla, suggesting that even a single Super Bowl ad could have significantly bolstered consumer interest in the brand and been cheaper than giving a discount. With a $7 million investment for a 30-second spot, Tesla would only need to sell an additional 875 vehicles, assuming a gross profit of $8,000 per car, to cover the ad cost. Black suggests that the resulting surge in consumer interest could far outweigh the immediate expense. In contrast, Tesla's current approach opts for a short-term sales boost, reducing the Model Y price by $1,000, equating to a $40 million monthly expenditure.
At $7M for a 30 second Super Bowl ad, $TSLA would have to sell 875 incremental cars (@$8k gross profit per car) to justify the cost of the ad. And the follow up interest from TSLA paying for a Super Bowl ad would be huge. Instead $TSLA cuts price by $1,000 per Model Y in the US… https://t.co/ZrqxUpRCcB
The transparency in Tesla's communication and its pricing strategy is designed to keep the sales momentum high, especially as competitors showcase their electric offerings through high-profile advertising campaigns. Despite not participating in the advertising blitz of events like the Super Bowl, Tesla remains steadfast in its approach, relying on direct communication and a robust offering of incentives to engage and retain customers.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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