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0 pointsjsprogrammer9y ago0 comments

>You know why Ford turns a profit? Because they've gotten those economies of scale.

Ford was immediately profitable, was it not? Even before implementing an assembly line?

0 comments

When ford came on the market, it only had to be better than a horse. A tesla has to be better than a masarati on the high end, a jaguar on the "medium" end, and a subaru on the "low" end.

setpatchaddress9y ago

That's not true. Other automakers existed before Ford; he had automotive competition.

In what world is a Jaguar a "medium" end car? The high end Jaguars extend into Maserati territory.

If Tesla wants to be better than a Maserati or Jaguar, they need to observe how much nicer the interiors of those cars are. Consumer Reports doesn't care about that above a certain level of basic competence, but a Maserati or Jaguar buyer does.

creshal9y ago

> If Tesla wants to be better than a Maserati or Jaguar, they need to observe how much nicer the interiors of those cars are.

Indeed. I was shocked when I first hitched a ride in a Model S – the interior is more spartan and cramped than that of a 90s Japanese keicar (an impressive feat, in a sense) apart from the entertainment system, which had an uglier, clunkier UI than what any web developer could have drawn you up in a week.

The sales rep's "oh don't worry about battery replacement cycles, nobody keeps a car for longer than five years anyway" statement was only the final nail in the coffin.

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Jeema1019y ago

They also had to be better than all the other competitors. There are hundreds of manufacturers from the early days that no longer exist:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_automobile_man...

intrasight9y ago

Love it. Presented the crux of their business challenge in a very succinct fashion.

warfangle9y ago

They also weren't competing against several companies that already had an assembly line.

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