Tesla Isn't Even Trying to Push The Model X SUV On Interested Customers
It's due to arrive in 2015, and Tesla recently retooled its assembly line in Fremont, Calif. to be able to build it.
Customer interest is high. But that doesn't mean Tesla is trying to satisfy it.
During Tesla's second-quarter earnings call on Thursday, CEO Elon Musk told JPMorgan's Ryan Brinkman that the company actually steers buyers away from the Model X (this is from the Seeking Alpha transcript):
Obviously, it's great for Tesla if it can sell another Model S, a car that starts at $70,000 (before federal and state tax incentives). And the company is taking $5,000 reservations for the Model X. But it's fascinating that the automaker isn't really trying to preemptively generate big demand for its falcon-winged SUV-minivan mashup. As Musk told Goldman Sach's Patrick Archambault:
Anti-sell and avoid stoking demand - it's a remarkable way to run a car company.