Tesla Master Plan: Part Deux

[Disco_Volante]

Well, at least it has a dashboard. I'll give it that.

But that steering wheel is one of the worst wheels I have ever seen. That plus the tacked on screen ruins what could have been a nice interior, although the lack of buttons would have been a turn off for me anyway.

Edit: I do actually wonder what it is about the 1980s in particular that Musk, South African-born and resident through to 1989, remembers so fondly that he tries to recreate it in pop culture references across his endeavours. With all the external sanctions and internal violence it can't have been a pleasant era.

I think it's just that the 80s are popular in general. Music, movies, and indeed cars. And Musk's whole business is being trendy and popular.

 

[McLaren]

I like a bit of minimalism (I think that's the appropriate terminology?) in home interior design, but I'm not feeling it in the interior of a car. That looks horrendously boring with zero soul, everything is just about confined to a giant, oversized screen.

 

[UltimateYosh]

The slight exterior changes really show that the Model S is still the best looking car in Tesla's lineup.

 

[Famine]

Oh my word:



"Car guesses drive direction". "You can override on touchscreen".

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

So if you come to a 4 way stop with no GPS route, how does the car "guess" what direction to signal? So you have to hit the touch screen to indicate every time it either doesn't indicate at all or guesses wrong? Is this creative tech or just pure cost cutting?

Also...maybe the car automates a lot of slow speed maneuvers...but that steering wheel looks like a pain in the ass to use for parking...

 

[Nessy]

I was expecting a lot more from this refresh in terms of exterior styling. The car has not aged well at all.

 

[EngieDiesel]

Oh my word:



"Car guesses drive direction". "You can override on touchscreen".

Well it's not like people who drive expensive cars ever bother to use their turn signals anyway. May as well let the car do it, so as not to cut into the valuable smugness projection time of the person holding the steering rectangle.

 

[McLaren]

So if you come to a 4 way stop with no GPS route, how does the car "guess" what direction to signal? So you have to hit the touch screen to indicate every time it either doesn't indicate at all or guesses wrong? Is this creative tech or just pure cost cutting?

Also...maybe the car automates a lot of slow speed maneuvers...but that steering wheel looks like a pain in the ass to use for parking...

Maybe it's going to be like that old Driver game. If you come to a stop, and turn your a wheel in a direction, the turn signal comes on for that direction.


BTW, I'm a bit surprised that it's legal for Tesla to put so much control & information into that screen, or that it's allowing so much media in it (the Witcher?). I thought they had made things like that illegal to minimize distractions, yet Tesla has made the super-sized screen the entire focal point of the interior. Wonder if the car has a huge list of vocal commands to combat switching the screen for the radio, A/C, Nav., etc. or it's all listed at once.

 

[AudiMan2011]

I was expecting a lot more from this refresh in terms of exterior styling. The car has not aged well at all.

It's in desperate need of a replacement more than anything. It's 9 years old now.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Maybe it's going to be like that old Driver game. If you come to a stop, and turn your a wheel in a direction, the turn signal comes on for that direction.


BTW, I'm a bit surprised that it's legal for Tesla to put so much control & information into that screen, or that it's allowing so much media in it (the Witcher?). I thought they had made things like that illegal to minimize distractions, yet Tesla has made the super-sized screen the entire focal point of the interior. Wonder if the car has a huge list of vocal commands to combat switching the screen for the radio, A/C, Nav., etc. or it's all listed at once.

There's something fundamentally humorous about this. When you see a car on the road, one of the very few cues you have to the intent of the driver is the indicators - they indicate intent! Tesla has removed the intentionality of the indicator - you can no longer assume that a Tesla's indicator reflects the drivers will!

Machines!

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Although it is now gone, a picture of the updated interior with a normal wheel was available through some URL manipulation

$ST0Y - Half wheel
$ST03 - Full wheel

https://www.thedrive.com/tech/38976...del-s-x-might-not-get-the-yoke-steering-wheel

 

[VXR]

Those Plaid+ specs have just made every hypercar irrelevant.

 

[MatskiMonk]

Those Plaid+ specs have just made every hypercar irrelevant.

If you had hypercar money, would you only buy a Tesla Model S "Plaid Plus"?

 

[VXR]

If you had hypercar money, would you only buy a Tesla Model S "Plaid Plus"?

I would, but then I'm not at all bothered by most hypercars.

 

[MatskiMonk]

I would, but then I'm not at all bothered by most hypercars.

Me neither, if I had hypercar money, I'd just have a really big garage with lots of old cars in it My point is the Plaid... which let's be honest, is a **** name, only excels in one area. There's a tonne of other cars which aren't as quick but are cheaper, better looking, and have nicer interiors - even at the Plaids comparatively modest price point. It may be a giant slayer, but it's as likely to get slayed itself by cheaper alternatives when it comes to desirabilty... IMHO.

 

[Nessy]

It's in desperate need of a replacement more than anything. It's 9 years old now.

Indeed. It still looks like it's a design from back in 2010. I think the only Tesla that's aged well looks wise, is the original Lotus based Tesla Roadster.

Those Plaid+ specs have just made every hypercar irrelevant.

Very impressive specs indeed, but i think the hypercar class still remains unbeaten by low weight and handling.

Me neither, if I had hypercar money, I'd just have a really big garage with lots of old cars in it My point is the Plaid... which let's be honest, is a **** name, only excels in one area. There's a tonne of other cars which aren't as quick but are cheaper, better looking, and have nicer interiors - even at the Plaids comparatively modest price point. It may be a giant slayer, but it's as likely to get slayed itself by cheaper alternatives when it comes to desirabilty... IMHO.

Pretty much this. Tesla will always have some kind of desirability, (mostly among the Tesla cult). But i believe there's a huge amount of cheaper alternatives, (albeit mostly ICE engine) that lack the performance, but have way more desirability.

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, I'm with Nessy and Matski. I'm not hugely interested in hypercars either but nobody is out there buying a Model S instead even if it has similar performance, in the same way nobody is buying V6 Camrys because they're quicker than old 911s.

It's sure to mean more Teslas wrapped around trees at 150mph though. Crashed supercar sites are not uncommon and giving Tesla owners a thousand horsepower is going to end up the same way.

For Plaid money, just give me a regular Model 3 for knocking around in and I'll spend the rest on something that looks, feels, sounds and handles better than any Model S.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Same can be said for the high end Taycan, no?

 

[Keef]

Same can be said for the high end Taycan, no?

Probably more so because the Taycan is a better sports car but worse actual car so owners are more likely to romp.

 

[Nessy]

Same can be said for the high end Taycan, no?

I'm not sure whether this question is specifically directed towards me, (i doubt it is).
But yes, i guess the same can be said for the high end Taycan.

Personally though, i'd take a high end or entry level Taycan, over a model S (standard, plaid or plaid plus) in a heartbeat. The specs may not come close to the Tesla, but i'd take it purely on the aesthetics and build quality, that and the better handling characteristics/driving experience.

Of course i cannot afford either and if i could, i'd still probably opt for a cheap entry level EV and an ICE sports car to enjoy once in a while, instead.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Yeah, I'm with Nessy and Matski. I'm not hugely interested in hypercars either but nobody is out there buying a Model S instead even if it has similar performance, in the same way nobody is buying V6 Camrys because they're quicker than old 911s.

It's sure to mean more Teslas wrapped around trees at 150mph though. Crashed supercar sites are not uncommon and giving Tesla owners a thousand horsepower is going to end up the same way.

For Plaid money, just give me a regular Model 3 for knocking around in and I'll spend the rest on something that looks, feels, sounds and handles better than any Model S.

I live adjacent to a lot of wealthy middle-aged yuppies...and the Tesla Model S seems to be a popular choice for them. I've noticed that a lot of these people (I assume) let their teenage kids borrow their cars. It scares the hell out of me to imagine teenage kids driving 1000hp cars - though I guess any Tesla is fast enough to be trouble for teenagers.

Hypercars have become so tediously "meh" that I struggle to even give an opinion about them. Maybe the towering performance of electric cars will force hypercars to become interesting in other ways. Singer has become more interesting overnight than basically all of the established players by doing something different. That they can sell a "slow" (I'd reckon most top trim luxury sedans and SUVs could out drag race even the Singer DLS) sports car with restrained styling for $1.8M USD should be eye opening for the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, let alone the hoards of failed startups trying to market their 1,300hp aggro-faced passion/vanity projects.

 

[homeforsummer]

Same can be said for the high end Taycan, no?

To an extent. Really goes for anything very quick - I imagine more than a few Durango Hellcats will end up on their roofs too.

But unlike those the Tesla is genuinely hypercar quick at sub-2 to 60, which is one thing, and I imagine Taycan, or Hellcat, or whatever else owners don't have the belief their car is basically supernaturally able, like many Tesla owners seem to. None of those companies claim their cars drive themselves, for a start, and you'd be amazed at the unwarranted confidence that seems to instil in people.

Hypercars have become so tediously "meh" that I struggle to even give an opinion about them. Maybe the towering performance of electric cars will force hypercars to become interesting in other ways. Singer has become more interesting overnight than basically all of the established players by doing something different. That they can sell a "slow" (I'd reckon most top trim luxury sedans and SUVs could out drag race even the Singer DLS) sports car with restrained styling for $1.8M USD should be eye opening for the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, let alone the hoards of failed startups trying to market their 1,300hp aggro-faced passion/vanity projects.

I've become pretty jaded to all of it in the last few years. I'm more excited by that most recent offroad Singer than I have been most things but there's only so many million-dollar wide-arch 964s with basketweave seats you can see before that gets a bit tedious.

I have so little interest in electric hypercars I don't actually know what options are out there at the moment beyond the Rimac, the Enzo was the last high-end Ferrari I had any real interest in, if Lotus doesn't replace the Elise I've more or less lost interest in that company too, and that latest M5 variant has zero appeal for me either. As someone who cares what cars actually feel like more than how fast they go it's all just exhausting.

 

[McLaren]

Hypercars have become so tediously "meh" that I struggle to even give an opinion about them. Maybe the towering performance of electric cars will force hypercars to become interesting in other ways. Singer has become more interesting overnight than basically all of the established players by doing something different. That they can sell a "slow" (I'd reckon most top trim luxury sedans and SUVs could out drag race even the Singer DLS) sports car with restrained styling for $1.8M USD should be eye opening for the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, let alone the hoards of failed startups trying to market their 1,300hp aggro-faced passion/vanity projects.

I believe that's kind of what Ferrari's Special Projects program already does, depending on how daring the client is & folks openly spending $3-5m+ for one. The performance is nearly always an afterthought relying on whatever the base car is (unfortunately, I don't think any client or even Ferrari will allow a SP car built on a Roma or Portofino even if performance is at the end of the owner's demands), with more emphasis placed on the tailor-made, craftsmanship details & unique ownership of that example like a Singer. The SP540 & SP12EC were designed to invoke the appeal of their older cars. A couple others have added older-styling cues, but they're still quite modern (and not very restrained at all leading to being hit or misses).

The Icona series will likely come much closer to following Singer's route further where the goal is to revitalize their icons like Singer than looking for lap times, so we may see more "restrained" styling there with Ferrari wanting to avoid protruding aero work that doesn't fall in line with whatever historic icon they're looking to rebirth. We can see it with the Monza, although I guess speedsters aren't really restrained in the sense of the Singers; maybe closer to the SLC's wild departure from the norm. But, the Iconas should follow Singer where they're more readily "available", clients can still tailor-make them to their exact desires, performance will likely remain an afterthought, & people will write Singer-priced checks for them. Icona 2 is rumored to be Testarossa or F40 inspired though, so the restrained styling may have to wait another couple years.

 

[Moglet]

So if you come to a 4 way stop with no GPS route, how does the car "guess" what direction to signal? So you have to hit the touch screen to indicate every time it either doesn't indicate at all or guesses wrong? Is this creative tech or just pure cost cutting?

Also...maybe the car automates a lot of slow speed maneuvers...but that steering wheel looks like a pain in the ass to use for parking...

There are indicator buttons on the wheel rather than the screen. It's still crap though. Imagine trying to hit one of those touch buttons while turning that "wheel" more than 90° while navigating a mini roundabout.

 

[MatskiMonk]

though I guess any Tesla is fast enough to be trouble for teenagers.

A teenager with a 1hp electric scooter is enough trouble! ... the problem is the teenagers! [grumble grumble]

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Interesting interview with Elon Musk by Sandy Munro, the guy who takes apart EVs to talk about build quality




EDIT:

Just saw this, Tesla's biggest recall because the screens are only expected to last 5 - 6 years.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/39065...call-were-only-meant-to-last-5-6-years-anyway

Addressing federal regulators, Tesla Vice President of Legal Al Prescott made the case that the touchscreen failures didn't constitute a defect worthy of a recall because the parts were only expected to last five to six years in the first place, which is certainly a novel strategy.

[...]

Further, Prescott argued that it was wrong for the NHTSA to assert that the touchscreen "should last at least the useful life of the vehicle, essentially double its expected lifespan." The fact that the average age of vehicles on U.S. roads hit an all-time high of 11.6 years in 2020, per CNBC.

[...]

The fact that the flash memory device was only rated to handle half the lifespan of the average vehicle on the road raises numerous questions around new vehicles' technology and planned obsolescence. If this was only expected to last five or six years, what else on the roads could fail earlier than consumers expect?

[...]

The recall includes 134,951 Model S and Model X cars, making it Tesla's biggest recall to date. It encompasses 2012 through 2018 Model S sedans as well as 2016 through 2018 Model X crossovers. This is fewer than the 158,000 cars requested by the NHTSA for recall, as Tesla excluded the vehicles that have already had memory upgrades or touchscreen replacements, reports the Washington Post.

 

[EngieDiesel]

So Tesla bought up about $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin last year, and Elon says that they'll be accepting it as a payment method for vehicles Pretty Soon Now™.

 

[05XR8]

Which adds to a question about satellites. Will Starlink be running all the Tesla EVs and probably a whole lot more.... eventually...?

 

[Famine]

So Tesla bought up about $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin last year, and Elon says that they'll be accepting it as a payment method for vehicles Pretty Soon Now™.

Elon also added "#bitcoin" to his Twitter profile on January 29th, leading to a 14% spike in BTC value, after Tesla had bought $1.5bn of BTC but before Tesla revealed that it had bought $1.5bn of BTC.

Which is exactly what the SEC has warned him about in the past... but from which nothing will come.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Elon also added "#bitcoin" to his Twitter profile on January 29th, leading to a 14% spike in BTC value, after Tesla had bought $1.5bn of BTC but before Tesla revealed that it had bought $1.5bn of BTC.

Which is exactly what the SEC has warned him about in the past... but from which nothing will come.

Yeah, adding a hashtag to your profile is such a terrible thing.