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The good news for Tesla Motors (TSLA +0.4%) investors is that reviews on the new Model S are...

  • Thursday, June 28, 2012, 9:47 AM ET
    The good news for Tesla Motors (TSLA +0.4%) investors is that reviews on the new Model S are smashing, but the bad news is that a boost in revenue for the company could be slow in coming. A buyer today for a Model S has to plop down a $5K deposit, but the balance isn't due until the delivery date - which currently averages about 11 months down the road. Execs with Tesla say they hope to cut the wait time down to 3 months.
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This news story has 5 comments:

  •  
    We ordered and S over Labor Day weekend are are expecting to get it about January 2013. The long wait is due to the backlog of 10K+ orders already placed in front of us. This is what is called an "elegant problem" for Telsa. Just think about $50M in deposits alone for a car that 99.9% of those who "plopped" down $5K have not even driven yet.
    28 Jun 2012, 10:09 AM Reply Like
  •  
    So it's "bad news" that a company has an 11 month backlog of orders on a product that has received uniformly rave reviews on its introduction? I suspect that most companies would welcome that kind of "bad news."

    Tesla's revenue stream will begin in earnest in about one month and will accelerate through the remainder of this year. By year's end the company will book about a half a billion dollars in revenue on 5,000 delivered vehicles. Next year $1.5 billion or more in sales based on the existing order backlog and very conservative projections for follow-on orders to 20,000 vehicles sold in 2013. And that's "bad news" how, exactly?
    28 Jun 2012, 10:33 AM Reply Like
  •  
    The Big 3 propaganda is at work - they wish they had the backlog TSLA has. Instead they pay SA to slam the competition in support of Big Oil.
    28 Jun 2012, 11:18 AM Reply Like
  •  
    Cory Johnson on Bloomberg has been panning Tesla based on battery replacement cost ($22500 estimate). He has done two video pieces where he talks about one Roadster driver who is limiting his mileage to extend his battery life. What he fails to mention is that the Model S owner will save $15000 plus in fuel cost during the 100k miles that the battery is warrantied compared to a V8 BMW 5 series. Add in the oil changes that you don't have to do and the reduced brake maintenance, and your ownership costs are about a wash. Depending on how much gas prices go up and how much the battery costs go down, you might come out significantly ahead.
    28 Jun 2012, 01:41 PM Reply Like
  •  
    I'll be at the Grand Opening Of the Tesla showroom in Santa Monica CA tonight----Batteries & Leases are 2 questions I'm asking----
    I'd be happy to ask any other question you want answered----
    28 Jun 2012, 05:26 PM Reply Like
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