Tesla Lease Drama

Tesla’s Lease Strategy

Between 2019 and 2024, Tesla took a bold step with its lease customers by not allowing them to purchase their cars at the end of their lease terms. The company initially claimed these vehicles would be repurposed for a groundbreaking robotaxi fleet. However, as revealed in a recent report, this plan did not come to fruition. Instead, Tesla ended up upgrading these cars with advanced software features and then selling them at prices higher than the lessees would have paid.

Elon Musk had predicted at a 2019 investor event in California that Tesla would have “over 1 million robotaxis on the road” by 2020. Yet, as of May, there’s no sight of these autonomous cabs. Plans for a paid rideshare service set to begin in June in Austin, Texas, have also met new regulatory challenges. This delay highlights how the automaker’s ambitious plans have struggled to align with reality.

Sales Tactics

The way Tesla handled these leases, selling them through various avenues like stores and online auctions, may have seemed a bit sketchy. While not illegal, these actions certainly blurred ethical lines by denying lessees the chance to buy their leased cars. Tesla enhanced these pre-owned vehicles with options like performance-boosting acceleration for $2,000 and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology priced at $8,000.

Lease agreements were popular, accounting for about 4.4% of Tesla’s deliveries, which translates to approximately 314,000 cars. This sales maneuvering came into full force with the Model 3 leases in 2019, stretched across all models by 2022, and then ceased in November. During this entire saga, not a single robotaxi hit the road. Joseph Yoon, an analyst from Edmunds, posited that the policy ended to avoid a slump in pre-owned vehicle values.

The Driver’s Experience

With all this talk about leasing strategy, let’s not forget the actual pleasure of driving a Tesla. Even used, these cars deliver a seamless, almost spaceship-like ride. The acceleration is sharp, much like more high-end performance vehicles. The tech-savvy interior, equipped with upgraded software, offers a futuristic experience that’s hard to match by its gasoline counterparts.

Compared to other electric vehicles, a Tesla possesses unmatched software integration and autonomy features. The Full Self-Driving (FSD) tech, although still under supervised conditions, gives a glimpse into the driving future. While rivals offer competent EVs, the Model 3 and Model Y stand out for their brilliant blend of affordability and luxury performance. As of now, no plan has surfaced to put these supposed robotaxi vehicles back into streets as initially intended.