Ductape wrote:
Interesting perspective in TechCrunch article
Is financial success really Tesla's aim?
Interesting article. Thanks for posting. One thing you read again and again of forums like this and comments on articles is that he losses money on every vehicle he build. Not a thing. His gross profit margins are within norms for the business, He makes 20 to 25 percent on every vehicle. This is all clearly indicated on the financials that are audited every year. Where he hemorrhages money is the R and D. Having said that many investors are okay with that as the company continues to grow. It must be a cash management nightmare though. The Roadster financed the S, the S financed the X, the X and deposits financed the 3 and the 3 will finance the Semi truck.
By design or coicidence, the semi is a perfect fit for his own needs as well. It is 257 miles from the Gigafactory to freemont. It is a 7200 foot rise one way though.
We are leaning towards a three to replace our Leaf in a few years. A lot will depend on the public DC charging network then. If its good we may look at a new leaf. If not, we will get a Tesla 3 or used S.