Model S
Musk Reboots Tesla's China Strategy
"A year ago, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk was greeted by rapturous crowds in Beijing and Shanghai as he handed over the keys to Tesla sedans. Now he’s back in China, and this time he’s on the defensive, trying to explain why sales have softened after starting so briskly. In an interview with state media, Musk, 43, made a startling admission: there’s a backlog of unsold Teslas around the country because people he dubbed speculators ordered cars and never bought them."
Elon Musk 'misled' by local speculators but won't give up China market
"Tesla had been "misled" by Chinese speculators into believing that demand for their vehicles was 'extremely high', leading to an excess of inventory, Musk said during a visit to China, where he attended the Boao Forum in Hainan province. Many orders were not placed by genuine buyers, but resellers who cancelled when the cars arrived, the official news agency Xinhua reported, quoting Musk. 'China is the only place on earth where we have excess inventory. We are essentially selling cars that speculators ordered but we were unable to deliver,' he said."
Telsa to localize production in China in 3 years: Elon Musk
"Musk acknowledged Tesla had a rough start in China last year. But he also emphasized that the company, founded in 2003, is still in its infancy, despite wide-spread perception that 'Tesla is huge'. Meanwhile, he said speculators and scalpers misled the company to believe that the demand for the cars was 'extremely high' during the launch. But when the cars arrived, the speculators canceled their orders, leading to excessive inventory. 'China is the only place on Earth that we have excess inventory. We are essentially selling cars that speculators ordered but we are not able to take delivery on,' the CEO said."
California could rein in Tesla rebates
"Gaines' proposal to curb California rebates shows his disappointment that Palo Alto-based Tesla chose Nevada rather than his district as the site for a $5 billion battery factory, said Diarmuid O'Connell, the company's vice president of business development. 'Punishing Tesla, a company that has created over 8,000 direct jobs in California in the past five years and thousands more indirect jobs by eliminating a modest rebate for its products while preserving that credit for companies like Toyota and Nissan -- companies that have abandoned California for Texas and Tennessee respectively -- seems like a curious response unless viewed through the lens of ignorance and retribution,' O'Connell said in an emailed statement."
Elon Musk teases a 2.8 0-60MPH P85D time
"0-60 mph in 2.8s is amazing. Sure'd be great if Model S could get there. Maybe it can."
April Fools must-watch video: Tesla Model S Ticket Avoidance Mode
"The new system automatically detects 'the presence of a meter maid or law enforcement officers' and deploys 'counter-measures' to deter the ticket writer – from activating the windshield wipers to autonomously driving around the block under the 'threat' has subsided."
Tesla Energy
Elon Musk says Tesla will unveil major new product line on April 30th
"Tesla CEO is teasing a major new product announcement that's coming next month — and it's not a car. Musk just tweeted that his company will unveil a new product line at Tesla's Hawthorne Design Studio on April 30th, with the mysterious reveal scheduled for 8PM PT."
Global Equities' Chowdhry Provides Incremental Update After Talking with Tesla Residential Battery Owner
"Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry followed up with addition due diligence on Tesla following Elon Musk's tweet yesterday about a 'Major new Tesla product line -- not a car -- will be unveiled at our Hawthorne Design Studio on Thurs 8pm, April 30.'"
TSLA
Morgan Stanley's upbeat note
"From our side, we have no strong view on what this announcement could be. However, we only point out that given the ambitions of the company, the creativity of its leader and the scope of the firm’s technology skills in the marriage of software and hardware... it's little wonder why investors need to pay extremely close attention to these events. Message: if you care about Tesla and don’t follow Elon Musk on Twitter, you should."
Tesla Advances After Analyst Sees Q1 Delivery Guidance As Beatable - TheStreet
"Preliminary data on March order trends indicate that demand for Tesla's vehicles in Europe is rising significantly, Credit Suisse analyst Dan Galves stated. The addition of all-wheel drive capabilities to Tesla's cars is probably making the vehicles more appealing to northern European consumers, the analyst believes. Tesla is poised to sell about 3,500 vehicles in Europe in the first quarter and if this estimate proves to be correct, the automaker needs to sell 9,500 vehicles in the U.S., equaling the average of its past eight quarters, to meet its guidance, Galves wrote."
Elon Musk
Video: Baidu CEO Robin Li interviews Bill Gates and Elon Musk
"Baidu CEO and chairman Robin Li interviews Bill Gates and Elon Musk at the Boao Forum, March 29 2015. Apologies for the poor sound. Discussion ranges from entrepreneurship to philanthropy, from 'summoning the demon' of Artificial Intelligence to the pros and cons of technocratic government, to automated driving, and more."
Interview with Elon Musk: Where will we be in 10 years?
"Elon Musk, the U.S.-based entrepreneur, has said the next decade would see a 'dramatic increase' in artificial intelligence (AI), most forms of cancer cured and, possibly, the first human mission to Mars."
Elon Musk explains why living off a dollar a day as a teenager convinced him he could do anything he wanted with his life
"He decided to see if a $30 food budget could get him through a month. He bought mostly hot dogs and oranges in bulk, and would occasionally switch it up with some pasta and jarred tomato sauce. He pulled it off. 'So I was like, 'Oh, okay. If I can live for a dollar a day — at least from a food cost standpoint — it's pretty easy to earn $30 dollars in a month, so I'll probably be ok,' Musk says. It gave him the assurance that he didn't need a comfortable salary to survive, allowing him the freedom to pursue his loftier goals, he says."
Other News
April Fools: Announcing the Tesla Model W
"Tesla today announced a whole new product line called the Model W. As many in the media predicted, it's a watch. That's what the "W" stands for. This incredible new device from Tesla doesn't just tell the time, it also tells the date. What's more, it is infinitely adjustable, able to tell the time no matter where you are on Earth. Japan, Timbuktu, California, anywhere! This will change your life. Reality as you know it will never be the same."