You bring up a good point, one that I've not been shy of bringing up on TMC, the Soldiers of Tesla website. Tesla’s popularity is also showing the company's post purchase weaknesses, one of which is repairs management. While many issues can be serviced by roaming technicians, the typical minor fender bender can quickly turn into a nightmare for Tesla owners because there are so few body shops approved by Tesla around the country and the world. On several instances I've asked for plausible solutions to a fender bender that would slightly damage the front or rear single cast, touted as a marvel of technology and manufacturing efficiency by Tesla and its geek squads, but a nightmare to address when it happens because it's made of a proprietary alloy which may or may not be repairable and may have to be replaced. Tie that with insurance companies likely to raise premiums to mitigate the repair/replacement expense and soon your Tesla’s electric discount is wiped out by the insurance premium. I suspect Tesla got into the insurance business because of that. Tesla's point that their cars are safer and thus should command a lower insurance premium may well be valid, but they certainly don't divulge much about the average repair and time away cost of minor fender benders. They have the ability to monitor their cars, grade drivers and modulate insurance premiums based on their score, something traditional insurance companies don't have (yet). It will be interesting to see with accumulated data what happens to drivers who score low... will Tesla deny them coverage? Will premiums be so high that consumers will simply switch to non Tesla vehicles? Those who have read my Tesla posts know I'm a Tesla bull and highly invested. But I'm not a groupie, I want Tesla to reach the masses, not just the wealthier middle class and loving early adopters. They are resolving one of my key grippes and working hard to eliminate their production teething issues; cars are finally coming out of the factories with fewer problems than most car manufacturers. Now they need to focus on the back end: charging, insurance and repairs. I trust they will match their market competitors before the competition is able to compete with them.
TSLA stock being dumped today pretty much, that’s what happens to overvalued stocks during broader market declines.
(The Daily Upside) "Ford's new electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck comes with a curious accessory: an adapter to charge Teslas that are out of juice. While the electric F-150 beat Tesla’s Cybertruck to market and has enough power to supply an entire home during grid outages, Ford CEO Jim Farley insisted the adapter was merely a gesture of goodwill. 'Not trolling. Just helpful', he tweeted. Too bad, Elon probably would have appreciated the troll."
Tesla files for 3-for-1 stock split https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/10/tesla-files-for-3-for-1-stock-split.html
Yeah, that's a bit less than I expected (10 for 1) and far less than the buzz expected (20 for 1). Likely to do with the drop in share price with the crash. Regardless, it's a good thing for investors.
(Futures Magazine) Tesla Stock - Desperate times call for desperate measures. Tesla released news on Friday for a 3-1 stock split. This is a typical dot.com playbook move to create a mini-pump. Many traders think this is a desperate move because of potential upcoming weaker financials and car sold metrics than the street forecast. We are not sure that weak sauce will work in this market. The stock split does not improve the company's fundamentals and doesn't fix Tesla's high Price-to-Earnings ratio of 94. It will also make Tesla stock easier to borrow for shorting.
No questions that Tesla will show weaker than expected numbers in Q1. It's not for lack of demand but COVID related issues in China, thus temporary. The company can still very well meet its production and sales target for the year. The split was discussed well before Chinese lock down or the crash, when TSLA was peaking at over 1200. The 3 for 1 reflects today's price, which is why it's not a 10 for 1 or greater multiplier. I don't think many traders have gotten rich shorting TSLA, but the opportunity to borrow more to short the stock is probably the least of Musk's concerns. You can also find similar anti Tesla trash on Seeking Alpha, if that helps to comfort your ego.