Tesla is now most important automaker in world

[vmSeattle]

The title of this post is a quote from an analyst at Morgan Stanley. Here is the article:

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-most-important-automaker-20140620-story.html

Personally, I agree. In the industry, I hear other people talk about how the Tesla Model S is an iphone, with wheels because it is disrupting how we think of cars. The concept of an iphone like way to upgrade your car's software is completely unheard of. Even the BMW i3, revolutionary as it is, still requires the car to be taken into the dealer for necessary software upgrades. If a software upgrade is not critical, but more of a nice to have, good luck getting a BMW dealer to do this for you unless you have a REALLY good personal relationship with their service department. I don't know about how BMW treats their customers, but in my town, both the Audi and Mercedes dealers are complete and utter douches.

 

[Surge]

The title of this post is a quote from an analyst at Morgan Stanley. Here is the article:

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-most-important-automaker-20140620-story.html

Personally, I agree. In the industry, I hear other people talk about how the Tesla Model S is an iphone, with wheels because it is disrupting how we think of cars. The concept of an iphone like way to upgrade your car's software is completely unheard of. Even the BMW i3, revolutionary as it is, still requires the car to be taken into the dealer for necessary software upgrades. If a software upgrade is not critical, but more of a nice to have, good luck getting a BMW dealer to do this for you unless you have a REALLY good personal relationship with their service department. I don't know about how BMW treats their customers, but in my town, both the Audi and Mercedes dealers are complete and utter douches.

I don't follow your post at all. It would be best if you stuck to one topic. What do you want to say? Tesla? Firmware upgrades? Dealer Serivce? Audi and Mercedes dealers are douches?!

On your first point, I disagree. Tesla is not the most important automaker in the world. They were first to market with a logical extension of the engine. That's hardly innovative. Now they are being copied. And, in my view, bettered. The i3 has much more innovation than the tesla.

 

[vmSeattle]

Hi Surge,
Dunno what you read, but yes, this is one topic. I believe Tesla's importance is directly related to the disruption they have caused in the automotive industry. This disruption would not have organically happened in the foreseeable future from the current automotive leaders. To discuss this, one must give examples of how Telsa is doing things different from other automakers.

Just to be safe tho, want to make sure this does not turn into yet another flame war of BMW vs Tesla. the i3 and the Model S are targeted to different markets. Both will be successful cars. Comparing the two cars are like comparing apples to oranges.