I guess that’s a reasonable take... but it can also result in waiting years for a car. Like, have fun getting a C8 Corvette anywhere near MSRP within the next 18 months.

As I’ve said, I believe Tesla is raising their prices because they can. However, I’m also far more ok with the manufacturer doing it so they can continue to build and design, rather than a politically protected middleman who adds practically zero value to the purchase of a car and exists solely.

Your entire argument rests on the premise that an ICE or hybrid luxury car would not meet the same consumer need as a Tesla.

The bigger battery allows for a larger reserve between the usable amount and the theoretical max, which should greatly extend the life of the battery.

After buying a single car via direct sales, I will never step foot in a traditional dealership again. My time is worth more than their bullshit. 

It doesn’t matter to your wallet. It matters to the scope of price gouging.

Otherwise, I just assume they are playing the same game the dealers are.

Ford, Chevy etc aren’t pocketing the price increase though, the greedy dealers are.

I don’t think so.  I think pre 11/2021 SR+ had a 54kWh battery, while the post 11/2021 SR has a 62 kWh battery.

The SR+ isn’t offered any more... at least I can’t find it on the site

If Tesla was putting a $15k+ “market adjustment” on their cars I’d agree with you. This isn’t that.

That’s different. They’re raising the prices when their costs haven’t gone up. Bumping a car price by a few grand because the materials cost more, transportation costs more, etc is normal. Joe Schtick bumping up a Kia on his lot by $15k “because I can” isn’t even the same thing.

Inflation is an index; a conglomeration of various goods. Guess what, chips—which are extremely important in cars and have thus affected supply of them—are up way more than standard inflation.

That article makes no mention of the Standard Range, but rather the SR+ and higher trims.

The problem is even with this it shows that dealers are still worse by a huge margin. Until we actually have evidence of manufacturers screwing up then I am going with them cause we have massive evidence for dealers being crooked.

Whether it’s a dealer or manufacturer doing it, the result to my wallet is the same.

Tesla has hiked prices because buyers are prepared to pay those increased prices. End of story. That’s how capitalism works.

The base price of a Model 3 went up by 20% in 2021 alone.

3-5% price increase during a year of ~8% inflation is price gouging? You’re an idiot.

Competition/consumer choice prevents price gouging.