MAss production ramp up could very well be a catastrophe. Keep in mind, the assembly process is the most important ‘product’ an automotive company creates. They’ve only produced 50 Model 3’s thus far. Musk referring to the next six months as ‘production hell’ is also very unsettling.

Unfortunately it’s less profitable to over-build engines to the point they can handle 5x more power than stock. Also the 2J is long, tall and heavy making it harder to package and less environmentally friendly.

I think seriously fucked up is an understatement. Grohmann is critical for hitting the production targets “sometime in late 2017". Without the dedication of all Grohmann resources to Tesla new model start up that target could become even more unlikely than it already was.

*Dirt Digler

Wow, Uber sure is snake-bit. I feel bad for the poor souls in their PR department.

This. It should go without saying that an OEM setting ludicrous production targets means ludicrous targets for the Tier 1/2/3 suppliers as well. So the RFQs are for huge volume, not the way it’s usually done in industry and not the kind of busniness venture a supplier wants the first time they do business together.

I worked for a large OEM automotive supplier. When Tesla announced their production plan through 2020 everyone I spoke to agreed the targets were ludicrous if not an outright lie.

I fail to see your point. It IS a game changer. It posses a hypercar style drivetrain for 1/10th the price. Just because it couldn’t be the very first one to market should Honda have just scrapped the entire program? What car(s) does it pale in comparison to? What car(s) does it even compare to in terms of technology,…

It’s more of a Japanese thing. I’ve posted before about the difficult, protracted development of the NSX. Despite the LFA’s stunning looks and orgasmic sound it’s an accounting nightmare. It offers almost nothing that can be applied across Toyota’s model lineup. The NSX’s hybrid technology on the other hand will pay…

Tesla needs to become a profitable entity first.

The best part is, as Americans, you can be proud of the NSX. It wasn’t developed in some far off country. It was developed right here in the good ol’ USA. In fact, it’s the only supercar currently developed and manufactured here. So, stick that in your pipe and smoke it :)

I was wondering the same thing. The hallmark of a luxury car is its interior comfort, interior parts quality and NVH scores. When I first sat in a Model S I actually started laughing in front of the salesman. As he described how Tesla was starting to steal market share from BMW and Mercedes, I began to wonder if he’d…

If GM forced Cadillac to make that hypothetical car they would be hung on Wall Street. The automotive industry is what financial-types would call an unattractive market.Simply put, the more tenured auto manufacturers won’t begin producing EV’s en masse until it is as profitable or more so than the current paradigm.…

Toyota’s official response is enlightening. Especially that Toyota developed the Hilux to meet the requirements ISO3888 which is literally the exact test it is failing in the video.

I think the 9-2x is one of the few times the badge-engineered version was the better of the two. It blows my mind that a used 9-2x aero is cheaper than an equivalent WRX.

This. The term autopilot is meaningless with respect to automobiles. Obviously it suggests some degree of autonomous function. It doesn’t provide an accurate definition that an average consumer would know. There aren’t any right now. It seems like Germany is trying to recognize that.

Tom is very serious about acquiring evidence of UFO’s and/or ET for years now. He coauthored a fiction book released earlier this year titled Sekret Machines. I actually enjoyed reading it. He also promoted the book through posts on the notorious conspiracy theory forum abovetopsecret.com. I wouldn’t consider him a…

It’s very much a front door attempt.

Security through obscurity. This is one case where that adage actually does apply. It’s funny that you think someone in IT would have any knowledge CAN 2.0b or ISO-11898-1/2/3. This subject isn’t covered by most universities at the undergrad or even graduate level.

I find it amazing the Rx-7 and the NSX still have the “wow” factor today. The NSX certainly has more of it. Regardless, I consider them both to be in the same special group of future classics.