Yeah but the "parent generation" is the one which has the cash to buy a Tesla. My generation, unless made rich by bitcoin trading or stocks? Lol used VW junker it is.

For my generation, I'd bet that access to (autonomous?) car sharing will be the cool thing - and, guess what, Tesla has the upper hand there. Every vehicle transmits data back to homebase... and that data is why Tesla is so hyped and highly valuated, not the cars or the patents, probably not even Elon Musk himself.

They may sell the car at a hardware loss, but gain so much data for which they'd have to pay test drivers instead and still get a dime of the percentage they now get. Hell Tesla could close down shop today and I bet there would be waaaaay more than enough cash from companies willing to buy that data.

The only exception I can think of is Google with its Maps/Streetview cars as these have enormous, probably even better, sensors by design and in theory Google could get by just fine - but the amount of data is a blip compared to the miles already driven by all the Teslas out there.

Further adding to the value of Tesla is that they are trying (and often have succeeded) in breaking down the "dealership" structures... while the "old" car makers are more or less stuck to that structure (they don't want to piss off existing dealers), Tesla can react way quicker to demand.

edit: oh, and "modern" infotainment? App connections? Nothing the big car makers have to show comes even remotely close to what Tesla can do - their entire model is different. Digital services are at the core of any Tesla, so deep in fact that Tesla can dynamically "unlock" more capacity in the batteries, with frequent software updates - while even a top-notch VW has to visit a dealer to get a de-stinker firmware update. And don't get me started about the quality of the software in any non-Tesla car. No one comes remotely close to that level, and no one comes close in development speed/agility.