Deep dive article: 70+ Slate prototypes built already -- "Inside the stealth production facility"

[cadblu]

Collision shops will make a ton of money in quick wrapping of Slates. It's fun to think about, right?

Perhaps, but I thought the appeal of this vehicle is DIY. Slate University will guide us step by step on wrapping.

The point I am making is to keep it out of collision shops in the event of a mishap.

 

[Daley]

Giant asterisk on the first statement: Model 3 is under $35K today with federal tax credit.

Base price for a Model 3 right now is $42.5K , which is $15k more than the Slate's estimated base, which is 55% higher than Slate's estimated base price.

You thought the $20k Slate price didn’t factor in the rebate? Maybe check out the FAQ on their website.

 

[Daley]

Their $20K price target (not $25K) has always been quoted as after tax credit, not before. It would not surprise me if it ends up being $25K after tax credit though, everything seems to just keep going up in price.

What I was referring to is that most automakers start high on price and *promise* to work their way down to the advertised price, eventually. It never happens but people apparently still believe them because that’s what they want to hear and believe.

 

[Daley]

I get by just fine with just a phone for nav in my FJ...and that phone is an iPhone SE.

How many people do you think are doing that today? In 2027?

 

[TexasSlate]

You thought the $20k Slate price didn’t factor in the rebate? Maybe check out the FAQ on their website.

Who said anything about $20K?

$42.5K (price of Tesla M3) - $15K = $27.5K, which is the estimated price of the Slate without a rebate. My expectation is that the rebate is gone in the next year, so there's no point factoring that into the equation.

Without the rebate, the Tesla M3 is 55% more expensive than a Slate at $27.5K. These two vehicles aren't really in the same market space.

 

[cvollers]

How many people do you think are doing that today? In 2027?

I have no idea. But Slate seems to think a fair number of people will be fine just using their phones and I have to assume that they did some market research before making their product decision.