Comments on: Is Tesla Pulling the Plug on the WhiteStar?

By: Hunter

Hunter — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:40:07 +0000

This is silly; I don’t know who Jalopnik’s “really reliable source” is, but Elon Musk is out telling CNN that they’re going to announce the first Whitestar details early in ‘08, which rather suggests the project isn’t “DOA.” You guys really think that a glitch like needing a new transmission (a second time) is going to derail the company’s whole long-term strategy? It’s one thing to say that other projects are suffering, or have lower priority at the moment…but this just sounds melodramatic. They’ve very willingly pushed the roadster back a few times now, and are probably doing the same to everything else. But this random anonymous source is directly contradicting Musk, who so far has seemed forthright about the company’s status and who now has a promise to keep. It’ll surprise me greatly if he said they’d give Whitestar information to the public and then they don’t.

By: mmcc

mmcc — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 10:38:26 +0000

#6 Brian… “And besides, 90% of the American public probably doesn’t even know what Tesla is.”

I think 90% don’t know about the Volt yet either… yet.

By: David

David — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 21:35:26 +0000

I’m always concerns whenever competition folds. Part of me believes Tesla didn’t think a $50K sedan car could compete with a $30K Volt. Smart.

By: law

law — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 21:23:50 +0000

#1 kent, the tesla is a different consept, complete independence from any gasoline/fuel. No serial hybrid will compete with it and no mystical car that you can’t even find on the internet is going to be doing anything to it.

If I had the money I’d buy a tesla roadster.

By: Guy Incognito

Guy Incognito — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:56:03 +0000

GM should buy Tesla outright and then sell it to the Germans.

By: Rashiid Amul

Rashiid Amul — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:43:21 +0000

I feel sorry for Tesla. Even though I could never afford to own one, it is really a cool looking car and completely EV. I hope they pull through.

I’m not worried about the Volt either.
GM is moving full steam ahead towards production. Fuel prices are still high.

Long live the Volt!!

By: Jack the R

Jack the R — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:02:11 +0000

Tesla is nothing to GM. I’ll worry about the Volt when Toyota drops the Prius.

By: Anti-Oil Jihadi

Anti-Oil Jihadi — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:56:17 +0000

A new, small, start-up company enters into a complex and challenging marketplace with a cutting edge product…. and they run into problems?

Nahhhhh.

death
to
oil

By: Brian M

Brian M — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:42:30 +0000

#4, RB:

Why do you think a “belief that electric cars will never work” affects the Volt? The Volt engineers aren’t relying on Tesla for The Volt to be a success.

And besides, 90% of the American public probably doesn’t even know what Tesla is.

By: noel park

noel park — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:20:56 +0000

Tesla has provided a great service by focusing attention on the possibilities of electric cars.

Alas though, the history of the automobile industry in the U.S., and the world for that matter, is clear to see. When the big guys get in the game, the little guys are toast.

De Lorean, Yugo, Bricklin, Studebaker, Packard, Tucker, Kaiser, Crosley, and hundreds more from the early years – all gone.

The history of the industry in the UK is just the same. Austin, Morris, MG, Triumph, TVR, just to name a few. How about Jaguar and Range Rover being sold to Tata? Or Rolls Royce, Bently and Mini Cooper being owned by German corporations?

Pheonix? Fisker? Give me a break. The Volt and the E-flex architecture are going to blow them all away if GM has the guts to follow it through.