Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said in an earnings call Wednesday what many people have already been thinking: Teslas are too expensive.
“What bugs me the most right now is that our cars are not affordable enough,” said Musk. “We need to fix that. We’re not trying to go bankrupt […] but we’re not trying to be super profitable, either.”
But just because Musk said it, doesn’t mean it will immediately happen — or happen at all. Musk has promised a lot of things over the past few years, many of which have yet to transpire. (Remember in 2016 when he promised a Tesla would drive completely autonomous across the country by 2017? That still hasn’t happened, four years later.)
As it stands now, the standard, no-frills version of Tesla’s inexpensive, basic Model 3 is $37,990 — about $15,000 more than Toyota’s critically touted, tried, and true Camry. Tesla’s luxury Model Y model with peak performance features will set you back roughly $60,000, which is $20,000 more than Mercedes’ popular C-class sedan. A fully loaded Tesla Model X SUV costs $99,990, far more than its non-electric counterparts.
If you have been eyeing Tesla’s ultra viral, and meme-worthy Cybertruck, you may be in for quite a shock. At launch, Tesla said it will make three versions of the Cybertruck available. The entry-level, rear-wheel drive model carries a base price of $39,000. The midrange model starts at $49,000, while the triple-motor range-topper costs $69,000 — that’s a lot of cash for a vehicle the public hasn’t been given much detail about (other than watching Musk drive it in a Los Angeles restaurant parking lot).
Musk also added on the earnings call that Tesla will try to eventually manufacture cheaper cars, and said to even expect price drops. But when, Elon, when?
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.