Exclusive interview Musk: Tesla is not a rich man's toy

The Hawthrone Civil airport in Los Angeles is reaping the attention of the world, with neon lights on both sides of the straight runway, a car called Model D parked at one end of the runway, and the driver will remind you to keep your belongings on hand, When he stepped on the accelerator for 3.2 seconds, the car reached 100 miles an hour, reaching the other end of the runway in an instant, with a strong push back to resemble a roller coaster.

This is exactly what Tesla CEO Ilon Masc (Elon Musk) wants the test drive to feel, even though the interior of the vehicle is equipped with a radar system, an ultrasonic sonar locator, and a camera with image recognition and a GPS locator that is more geek-style, but Musk still doesn't forget to model D's press conference stressed that electric cars can also feel the most primitive pleasures of automobiles.

For Tesla CEO Ilon MASC (Elon Musk), the announcement was crucial, and last month the traditional car camp, which had been slow to confront Tesla, launched a counterattack, with BMW announcing the i3 and i8 of its electric cars, which were priced at less than 500,000 yuan. The positioning of the sports car i8 is priced at 2 million yuan below, at the same time to catch the ordinary people and the rich are curious to demand.

Fortunately Model D announced will be BMW than go on, Model D maximum power, maximum torque, hundred kilometers acceleration time and other hard parameters are better than the positioning in the sports car BMW i8, more unique automatic driving, such as finished technology van full of functions, and the 120,000 dollar price is much cheaper than i8, According to Tesla's previous pricing system, Model D will be priced at around 1.3 million when it enters China.

"The value of Tesla's existence is a model for the rest of the auto industry, telling everyone that electric cars can do it!" ”

Ilon MASC after the Model D conference to accept Tencent Technology exclusive interview made the statement, but he also admitted that Tesla will not like Apple to subvert the mobile phone market. Tesla's 35,000-year market share can only be bucket, compared with the Chiwan of other traditional cars in a year.

In fact, Tesla's share price slipped 8% after the announcement, most investment agencies believe Tesla's pricing is higher than the average American consumer's consumption level and do not have the ability to quickly occupy the market, but these investment institutions apparently ignore the Musk's early announcement that it will not be around 2017 years ago.

Close contact Musk will find that the tall CEO, although the usual for criticism is always a direct response, but the attitude is always not anxious not Xu, well-organized. More importantly, he rarely avoids sensitive issues with the usual corporate propaganda of Western companies, although he has been defined by countless times as Mr Jobs's successor, but it is much more in character.

Not the apple, not the subversion.

Goldman Sachs reported earlier that Tesla could not become an apple. Because Tesla could not subvert the industry like an Apple phone in predictable time, the traditional car still has a dominant position. Last year, Tesla sold 22,000 vehicles worldwide, with sales of no more than 35,000 in the 55% target this year. Toyota, the world's first-sales carmaker, sold up to 9.98 million vehicles last year.

In this regard, Musk admits that he said that in one respect Goldman Sachs is right, Tesla is still a very small company, this year only paid 35,000 cars, compared to 10 million cars a year in the new market is only bucket. Although Tesla has been very noticeable in public attention and media coverage, the size of the auto maker is still very small.

But Musk stressed that the value Tesla can bring to the auto industry is to show you how much electric cars can do, and set a precedent for electric cars, that you can build a good electric car, customers are willing to pay for it, hoping to encourage other carmakers to design more electric vehicles. Tesla grew at an equal rate, but it was a small company.

With no aversion to the BMW's new electric car, which had just started charging Tesla, he said Tesla would not regard other companies as rivals, because Tesla's market was too small, so he just set the benchmark to let the industry know it was done. So the point of Tesla's existence should be to encourage other automakers to invest in the development of electric cars, rather than using Tesla to occupy all the markets.

In fact, news of Tesla's launch of VW-oriented best-selling cars has been on the news, with information from the US Patent and Trademark Office showing that Tesla Motors filed a patent application for cars and spare parts, clothing, accessories, and maintenance equipment code-named "Model E" by August 5 this year. Then there was news that Tesla would launch an entry-level version of the electric car ahead of time, but the eventual listing of Model D still featured high-end markets.

Pay attention to China's no increase

When talking about the Chinese market, Musk said Tesla was really popular with many Chinese customers, but what surprised him most was that the strongest complaint was to wait a long time to lift the car. This should be the least bad of all the reasons for not being satisfied with Tesla, he said.

It is reported that after Tesla announced into China, there have been a large number of two or three-line city owners protested the problem, even in the Tesla in China on the day, Musk also need to take time to appease angry owners to ensure the normal holding of the conference.

The commitment to ensure the ability to deliver cars, repair services, and make super charging stations all over China is the focus of Tesla's future in the Chinese market, and the fact that China has set up a super charging station far more quickly than other countries around the world.

He revealed that now almost every few days Tesla has set up a charging station in China. We expect to see charging stations all over China by the end of next year, but he also stressed that the biggest difficulty should be to have a list of energy vehicles, but unfortunately this is unlikely to happen in the short to medium term.

When it comes to new models, Musk stressed that Tesla did not restrict the dual-engine configuration to the rest of the world, simply because the cars were made in California, and the Chinese customers had to wait two months to get the car. At the same time, he stressed that the principle of not increasing fares was upheld. Open and transparent pricing policy is an important part of fostering long-term customer loyalty.

Model D

Not aggressive, but never silent.

For Musk's personality problems, the outside world has been a big controversy, and most of the technology industry, Musk is not enough inflammatory, in the face of a lot of problems musk answer are "really" known. On this year's first show in China, the bad talker failed to play the "preacher" image of the Chinese people, although several times as Mr Jobs's successor, but in this regard, he is far from the local Chinese Shanzhai "jobs" are still very far away.

But in the face of doubt, Musk will also fight back, before someone attacked Tesla car accident after the safety of fire. Then Musk in the blog publicly responded that since Model S auto entered the mass production stage last year, there have been 250,000 petrol-powered vehicles in the United States alone, but so far only three Model S cars have caught fire, and only after a serious impact, but also did not cause casualties.

He accused some of the media of "not being realistic about the story, especially the unprofessional media, which was taken out of context, and not from the actual data." ”

In this respect, Musk to Tencent technology that he is not the kind of people who will actively provoke, but if you do not see any other (solution) way, then have to stand up to speak. He says he does not mind correct criticism, but if the criticism is not correct, Tesla must respond immediately to the impression of reversing these mistakes.

"For example, if there is an accident of a fire accident, the public does not know that the proportion of the news interview is 1:10,000, that is, every 10,000 gasoline fire accident, the sum of news reports, the equivalent of a Tesla fire accident." If you are just the general public, how can you know the truth behind? Unless Tesla came forward to refute these things and point out the truth, the public would not understand. ”

Musk

Exclusive interview Record:

Tencent technology: At the beginning of the year you have expressed great confidence in the Chinese market, now you satisfied with Tesla in China's performance?

Ilon MASC: Tesla was popular with many Chinese customers, and I was most surprised that the strongest complaint was that it would take a long time to lift the car. Of all the reasons for not being satisfied with Tesla, this should be the least bad. So ensuring that we have the ability to deliver cars, repair services, and make super charging stations all over China is the focus of our future market in China, and the fact that China has set up a super charging station is much faster than other countries around the world.

The biggest difficulty is that we want to be able to list energy vehicles, but unfortunately this is unlikely to happen in the short to medium term.

Tencent technology: Tesla is still not building a charging station along the highways of China, when will the formal construction plan be opened?

Ilon MASC: Although there are no recharging stations on the road now, the speed of expansion is very fast and we now set up a charging station almost every few days. At the end of next year, we expect to see a recharging station all over China, probably in every Chinese city except the Gobi Desert. Perhaps I can also consider the same as the last self-driving tour in the United States, to a Chinese self-driving tour.

Tencent technology: Some pessimists say Tesla cannot change the car industry as Apple does to subvert the mobile phone industry. What do you think of it?

Ilon MASC: I think in one respect they are right, Tesla is still a very small company, we only paid 35,000 cars this year, compared to 10 million new car market every year, we are just bucket. Yes, Tesla is really noticeable in public attention and media coverage, but the size of the automaker is very small.

The value Tesla can bring to the auto industry is to show you how much electric cars can do, and set a precedent for electric cars, proving that you can build a good electric car and customers are willing to pay for it. It is hoped that other carmakers will be encouraged to design more electric vehicles. Tesla grew at an equal rate, but it was a small company.

Tencent technology: BMW i8 and other pure electric vehicles after the launch of the user's evaluation is good, Tesla how to view the competition with the traditional car companies?

Ilon MASC: We don't think of other companies as competitors, because Tesla's market is too small, just like a drop of water in a bucket. So strictly speaking, although it is an opponent, but not necessarily.

So we just have to set a benchmark to let the industry know that it is done. So the point of Tesla's existence should be to encourage other automakers to invest in the development of electric cars, rather than using Tesla to occupy all the markets.

Tencent Tech: Someone attacked Tesla's safety after a car crash, and you immediately refute it. Is this aggressive character innate?

Ilon MASC: I'm not the kind of person who can be aggressive, but if I don't see any other way, then I have to stand up and talk. I really don't mind the right criticism, but if the criticism is not correct, we must respond immediately to reverse the impression of these mistakes. Tesla will draw outside attention, whatever happens. For example, if there is an accident of a fire accident, the public does not know that the proportion of the news interview is 1:10,000, that is, every 10,000 gasoline fire accident, the sum of news reports, the equivalent of a Tesla fire accident. If you are just the general public, how can you know the truth behind? Unless Tesla came forward to refute these things and point out the truth, the public would not understand.

Tencent technology: Now Tesla is still like "geek" big toys or "tyrants" dazzling rich products. Can it come near the ordinary owner in the future?

Ilon MASC: Usually Tesla customers buy Model S, this is their main commuter tool, not an occasional "toy" in a garage. I often hear customers with three or four cars saying that Model S is the car they drive every day, which means Tesla is not a toy. For customers who buy cars, they are contributing to the development of affordable electric cars, but customers who buy other luxury cars cannot say so. I'm not saying these depots are bad.

For example, if you buy a Jaguar, the money will go into developing more jaguar, rather than the development of cheap electric cars, but cheap electric cars is the future trend. It is also a good thing that Tesla's customers will buy the car directly into the development of future vehicles.

Tencent Technology: The new Model D will first be provided to the U.S. domestic market, when will enter China? Will the price be the same as that of the US?

Ilon MASC: It's not my preference to offer the U.S. market first, because it's very simple because the car is made in California, so it's natural that California customers will get the car first because of the geographical distance.

We do not limit the dual engine configuration into the rest of the world, simply because the car is made in California, it will take some time to transport to other parts of the world, such as Chinese customers have to go through the sea, customs clearance and other procedures to lift the car. So if a California customer can lift a car now, maybe Chinese subscribers will have to wait two more months.

As for prices, we still uphold the principle of not increasing fares. Open and transparent pricing policy is very important to us, this is our training long-term customer loyalty is an important link.

(Responsible editor: Lvguang)