>

the problem is that Tesla can't keep up with the newer models other manufacturers make, the market share they have is artificial though subsidies and other shady practices,  so they need to get a larger portion of the population hooked before they move to other electric cars who are quite frankly better then Tesla,  but they only have a limited time to do so, so cutting prices is going to be worth it in the long run, because buying a car isn't something people can do often, so if they wait its no sale vs lower sale now.
Tesla is facing increased competition, its just not really noticeable in North America. 
Tesla is the #1 EV brand in the world.  The next big brands are all Chinese with maybe Rivian who is high end
.  Chinese firms have played massive catch up, and sell in big numbers for less in China, Asia, Middle East and have entered Europe.  They still don't sell in North America so most just don't know its happening.  
Even the biggest Europe EV company, Polstar, is owned by the Chinese.
Tesla now sells about 15% of the global EV's.  As of December over 40% are now from Chinese firms with biggest being BYD. >

I’ve maybe seen like 3 Rivians in my whole life (a few more Polestars since I visited the PNW for Christmas), so you’re definitely correct there that the market hasn’t caught on fire here the way it has elsewhere. 
That said, doesn’t lowering the prices after already rolling out earnings expectations based on the prior price hurt the stock inherently? Or are those something they can just revise on the fly? Seems kind of sketchy if so (and I mean if any company can do this, not just singling them out). >

it seems like you have a thought that lower stock price is bad for tesla? it is not. what worse is if Tesla keeps their price but sells smaller numbers of cars. Tesla wants to keep their volumes to maintain their business agenda. ignore about the profit margin, businesses come first.
Tesla goal is to become a go to for EV car, not luxury car. it is luxury for now because of the price and the price only, the car feature itself should be/is a basic of EV car. in order for them to do that, Tesla needs to sell more cars not less.
as a company, Tesla know that current interest rate or government direction is to lower demand (to reduce inflation). that's why businesses, not only tesla, will try to cut price to maintain their volumes. Businesses want more demand from customer, one of the best way to do that in this environment is to cut price. >

It really seems like we're entering a recession. One of the hardest-hit sectors of the 2008 recession was the auto industry.  
So, Tesla might just be in total survival mode. Its not about profits anymore, its not about growth, its just about coasting through the recession. 
Plus, dropping prices is an attempt to build some customer loyalty, maybe an attempt to rehabilitate their image. And they'd be banking on customers remembering that both through the recession and after the recession.
We're currently seeing this with Costco, and their refusal to raise prices during inflation. And we're seeing this with  Disney lowering the prices to their park. >


I guess what I’m more nervous/concerned about is that if they’re already somewhat shoddy cars (and there have been a lot of posts on the internet showing poor welds, malfunctioning engines, handles that won’t extend, etc.) that require expensive upkeep, then they’re going to be even more dangerous cumulatively.

The best built products are mass produced. Coca-Cola, iPhones, Toyota Camrys, etc. You make a million of them. Then you notice a problem and fix it. Then you make another million. Then you notice another problem and fix it. By the time you produce 100 million products and counting, you've ironed out pretty much every possible issue. 
The shoddiest cars are expensive low volume cars. Ferraris, Rolls Royces, etc. are known for being ultra-high maintenence and extremely unreliable.
Teslas are expensive because they're a new technology. But they're not luxury cars like Lexuses or BMWs or something. They have very simple interiors. They're trying to build a mass produced high volume car that everyone can afford. That means making as many as they can as fast as they can, building more factories, etc. The goal is to win on volume, not margin. That means selling a ton of low-profit cars, not a few high-profit cars.

I think this because if more people (that are already less well-off than previous generations) are handling vehicles that they truly can’t afford to take care of and that do require a bit different care than your basic “fill tank, get an oil change, tune-up/alignment every blue moon and done”, then there are more chances that a malfunction of any of the aforementioned components or ones not listed could harm one or more people. So that could mean the door handles not coming out and a pet or child is trapped inside a hot box, a battery fire that could engulf the car and possibly scorch surrounding cars/people, and so on, being a lot more common than it already is.

The Tesla problems that you describe are in "initial quality." Many of the cars come out of the factory with problems like poor welding. Think about JD Power awards. But they're very reliable afterwards. Think Consumer Reports. They are extremely low maintenance because they don't have engines. Your iPhone doesn't need maintenance and neither does a Tesla. You have to keep the tires pumped up, but otherwise they only need some minor maintenance once every 5 years.

So that could mean the door handles not coming out and a pet or child is trapped inside a hot box, a battery fire that could engulf the car and possibly scorch surrounding cars/people, and so on, being a lot more common than it already is.

Teslas are mostly run by an iPad style tablet, but all the safety stuff is manual/seperate. That means the brakes, the steering wheel, the airbags, the seatbelts, etc. The doors are electronic, but they also have a manual release. The only risk is if people don't know how they work. But people didn't know how seatbelts worked at first either.
One of the cool things about Tesla is that that the cars can be updated over wifi, just like a phone. So if there's a problem discovered on the 10 millionth car, the previous 10 million cars get the update immediately too. This is another reason why the goal is selling lots of cars for a low price, not a few cars for a high price. The cost of improving one car is very high. But if you spread it over millions of cars every time, the cost per car is very low. So the more cars they sell, the most cost effective it becomes. Making movies is expensive, but then it costs the same if one person sees it or if a billion people see it. A $100 million movie to entertain one person costs $100 million per person. $100 million for a billion people means 10 cents per person. >

Thank you for such a detailed answer, you really went through with a fine-tooth comb and broke up the sections! You’re a saint because I’m on mobile haha.
I do agree that mass-produced things are generally better quality because of the standards they’re made to embody, but I’ve heard and read that Tesla doesn’t really have quality control at the moment. (If this is untrue, I’m happy to read otherwise!) If I’m a car manufacturer, I’m nipping that in the bud immediately, because is that not negative press that could contribute to a decline in sales? A person might want to buy one and then hear there’s little or no QC or customer service and then back out; a statement from the company wouldn’t hurt in that case I’d think.
The things I brought up like the fire are real situations, not just hypotheticals that have never happened. A gentleman who wanted to drive an EV to be eco-friendly in 2019 died after the Tesla caught on fire and he couldn’t get out because the handles didn’t “present.” It was reported that he burned to death in agonizing pain all because he couldn’t exit his own vehicle. That just can’t happen, ever- initial quality or not. 
What if you live somewhere that the wifi is bad or there isn’t any available? Does that mean you don’t get an update and you’re still screwed if your car is one of the “unlucky” ones? (This isn’t a standoffish question, I’m genuinely curious.) Or like if there’s a service interruption for some reason mid-update, how do I know my car is safe?
I do like your movie analogy, it’s helping me to visualize the spreading of the cost of operating across  a “wider area.” >


If I’m a car manufacturer, I’m nipping that in the bud immediately, because is that not negative press that could contribute to a decline in sales? A person might want to buy one and then hear there’s little or no QC or customer service and then back out; a statement from the company wouldn’t hurt in that case I’d think.

I'm sure some people prefer a more finely finished car. Others think these issues are minor and prefer a Tesla anyway. Tesla customers are currently the most loyal customers in the auto industry.

The things I brought up like the fire are real situations, not just hypotheticals that have never happened. A gentleman who wanted to drive an EV to be eco-friendly in 2019 died after the Tesla caught on fire and he couldn’t get out because the handles didn’t “present.” It was reported that he burned to death in agonizing pain all because he couldn’t exit his own vehicle. That just can’t happen, ever- initial quality or not.

There are two sets of handles on every door. There's the fancy electric ones, and the backup ones. I'm not sure about the details, but I'm guessing the driver died because he panicked due to the accident and fire. He wasn't able to calm himself out of the state of shock before the flames engulfed him. This is unfortunately very common in fires. (I'd link a famous clip from the Office, but it's probably in bad taste since we're talking about someone who died here.)

What if you live somewhere that the wifi is bad or there isn’t any available? Does that mean you don’t get an update and you’re still screwed if your car is one of the “unlucky” ones? (This isn’t a standoffish question, I’m genuinely curious.) Or like if there’s a service interruption for some reason mid-update, how do I know my car is safe?

Tesla cars also come with cell service. And Elon Musk has another company called Starlink focused on providing satellite internet to areas without wifi. But the simple answer is that if you're in a place with a Tesla charger available, it almost certainly has wifi too. >


lack of quality control standards is going to be an absolute nightmare compounded by fewer Teslas on the road being owned by people that are doing right by their models in terms of upkeep.

A lot of the quality control issues have ended, but it doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.  The door handle design was entirely changed.  There's a lot of innovation going on in the factories that is extremely impressive like gigapress.  I think the price drop will put their cars in a far more completive place than other EV companies. >

the problem is that Tesla can't keep up with the newer models other manufacturers make, the market share they have is artificial though subsidies and other shady practices,  so they need to get a larger portion of the population hooked before they move to other electric cars who are quite frankly better then Tesla,  but they only have a limited time to do so, so cutting prices is going to be worth it in the long run, because buying a car isn't something people can do often, so if they wait its no sale vs lower sale now. >

Dude do you know anything about EVs? Expensive upkeep? You then double down that people won’t be able to afford the upkeep because “different care”? 
You’re falling hardcore for the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) and it sounds like you haven’t actually spoken with anyone who owns a Tesla, I suggest doing that before stating concern that you know what’s better for the company and their pricing strategy >

Umm… Inflation? I just graduated grad school 7 months ago and the cheapest Tesla model is still more than I make annually. So no, a lot of people living at or below median household income probably cannot afford an EV from that company. There are talks from others to make models as low as $20k after rebates which would make it obviously much more affordable for me to help the environment in that way.
This certainly didn’t change my view at all because it feels more like you’re just preaching at me about the stock than trying to flesh out a coherent rebuttal for me. >

You finished grad school, and your anual salary is under 45k? >

At current, yes. I did dual enrollment in high school so I could speed run my AA, transferred to a state school for the last half of that degree (saved my parents a shitload of money by doing that community college in high school), then as soon as I got my BA I left and started my graduate program not 3 months later. So because my life has been more book-heavy than practical work-heavy, I have to pay my societal dues and work my way up in terms of experience. Sometimes it’s a sticking point for me to know I’m smart and capable of doing what older people can, but my resume is much shorter and consists of more entry-level things because I had to get by. So of course to an employer they’re going to take someone who’s formally worked for longer and with more responsibilities. >

May I ask what field you're in? Because I'm not that much further out of college than you at about a year and a half, and I'm making like 70k plus overtime and bonuses for night/weekends/holidays. >

I studied Criminology (MS), Criminal Justice with a minor in Spanish (BA) and then just your regular AA. I’ve never made more than $16,000 in a year on paper because I started college at 15, so the hours you can work that young are severely limited. I had to push carts at a grocery store in the beginning and even then because I was still technically an HS student (both in age and the fact I hadn’t fulfilled all my credits yet, hence dual enrollment) I was only able to work up to 18 hours a week my freshman year. When I got to my BA program it was 20 hours (I was 17 going on 18 so age wasn’t a factor, but employment through the school said you could only work up to 20 hours a week.) I was scrounging 24 hours every paycheck.
I night audited part time to get through school, still work front desk now that the FAFSA is gone but it’s really hard to get in the door at 21 anywhere without them making you take the grunt work and shit pay. It sucks. >

I guess it's a field thing then. I got my masters at a regular pace, and wnet straight into a government job, which is significantly less than the salary I could have gotten elsewhere. >

When Tesla releases that truck, maybe the Roadster and really ramps up the semi trucks it will be fine.  It's a good time to buy the stock. >

The truck that is illegal almost everywhere in the world due to safety concerns? >

Tesla is facing increased competition, its just not really noticeable in North America. 
Tesla is the #1 EV brand in the world.  The next big brands are all Chinese with maybe Rivian who is high end
.  Chinese firms have played massive catch up, and sell in big numbers for less in China, Asia, Middle East and have entered Europe.  They still don't sell in North America so most just don't know its happening.  
Even the biggest Europe EV company, Polstar, is owned by the Chinese.
Tesla now sells about 15% of the global EV's.  As of December over 40% are now from Chinese firms with biggest being BYD. >

I’ve maybe seen like 3 Rivians in my whole life (a few more Polestars since I visited the PNW for Christmas), so you’re definitely correct there that the market hasn’t caught on fire here the way it has elsewhere. 
That said, doesn’t lowering the prices after already rolling out earnings expectations based on the prior price hurt the stock inherently? Or are those something they can just revise on the fly? Seems kind of sketchy if so (and I mean if any company can do this, not just singling them out). >

it seems like you have a thought that lower stock price is bad for tesla? it is not. what worse is if Tesla keeps their price but sells smaller numbers of cars. Tesla wants to keep their volumes to maintain their business agenda. ignore about the profit margin, businesses come first.
Tesla goal is to become a go to for EV car, not luxury car. it is luxury for now because of the price and the price only, the car feature itself should be/is a basic of EV car. in order for them to do that, Tesla needs to sell more cars not less.
as a company, Tesla know that current interest rate or government direction is to lower demand (to reduce inflation). that's why businesses, not only tesla, will try to cut price to maintain their volumes. Businesses want more demand from customer, one of the best way to do that in this environment is to cut price. >

It really seems like we're entering a recession. One of the hardest-hit sectors of the 2008 recession was the auto industry.  
So, Tesla might just be in total survival mode. Its not about profits anymore, its not about growth, its just about coasting through the recession. 
Plus, dropping prices is an attempt to build some customer loyalty, maybe an attempt to rehabilitate their image. And they'd be banking on customers remembering that both through the recession and after the recession.
We're currently seeing this with Costco, and their refusal to raise prices during inflation. And we're seeing this with  Disney lowering the prices to their park. >


I guess what I’m more nervous/concerned about is that if they’re already somewhat shoddy cars (and there have been a lot of posts on the internet showing poor welds, malfunctioning engines, handles that won’t extend, etc.) that require expensive upkeep, then they’re going to be even more dangerous cumulatively.

The best built products are mass produced. Coca-Cola, iPhones, Toyota Camrys, etc. You make a million of them. Then you notice a problem and fix it. Then you make another million. Then you notice another problem and fix it. By the time you produce 100 million products and counting, you've ironed out pretty much every possible issue. 
The shoddiest cars are expensive low volume cars. Ferraris, Rolls Royces, etc. are known for being ultra-high maintenence and extremely unreliable.
Teslas are expensive because they're a new technology. But they're not luxury cars like Lexuses or BMWs or something. They have very simple interiors. They're trying to build a mass produced high volume car that everyone can afford. That means making as many as they can as fast as they can, building more factories, etc. The goal is to win on volume, not margin. That means selling a ton of low-profit cars, not a few high-profit cars.

I think this because if more people (that are already less well-off than previous generations) are handling vehicles that they truly can’t afford to take care of and that do require a bit different care than your basic “fill tank, get an oil change, tune-up/alignment every blue moon and done”, then there are more chances that a malfunction of any of the aforementioned components or ones not listed could harm one or more people. So that could mean the door handles not coming out and a pet or child is trapped inside a hot box, a battery fire that could engulf the car and possibly scorch surrounding cars/people, and so on, being a lot more common than it already is.

The Tesla problems that you describe are in "initial quality." Many of the cars come out of the factory with problems like poor welding. Think about JD Power awards. But they're very reliable afterwards. Think Consumer Reports. They are extremely low maintenance because they don't have engines. Your iPhone doesn't need maintenance and neither does a Tesla. You have to keep the tires pumped up, but otherwise they only need some minor maintenance once every 5 years.

So that could mean the door handles not coming out and a pet or child is trapped inside a hot box, a battery fire that could engulf the car and possibly scorch surrounding cars/people, and so on, being a lot more common than it already is.

Teslas are mostly run by an iPad style tablet, but all the safety stuff is manual/seperate. That means the brakes, the steering wheel, the airbags, the seatbelts, etc. The doors are electronic, but they also have a manual release. The only risk is if people don't know how they work. But people didn't know how seatbelts worked at first either.
One of the cool things about Tesla is that that the cars can be updated over wifi, just like a phone. So if there's a problem discovered on the 10 millionth car, the previous 10 million cars get the update immediately too. This is another reason why the goal is selling lots of cars for a low price, not a few cars for a high price. The cost of improving one car is very high. But if you spread it over millions of cars every time, the cost per car is very low. So the more cars they sell, the most cost effective it becomes. Making movies is expensive, but then it costs the same if one person sees it or if a billion people see it. A $100 million movie to entertain one person costs $100 million per person. $100 million for a billion people means 10 cents per person. >

Thank you for such a detailed answer, you really went through with a fine-tooth comb and broke up the sections! You’re a saint because I’m on mobile haha.
I do agree that mass-produced things are generally better quality because of the standards they’re made to embody, but I’ve heard and read that Tesla doesn’t really have quality control at the moment. (If this is untrue, I’m happy to read otherwise!) If I’m a car manufacturer, I’m nipping that in the bud immediately, because is that not negative press that could contribute to a decline in sales? A person might want to buy one and then hear there’s little or no QC or customer service and then back out; a statement from the company wouldn’t hurt in that case I’d think.
The things I brought up like the fire are real situations, not just hypotheticals that have never happened. A gentleman who wanted to drive an EV to be eco-friendly in 2019 died after the Tesla caught on fire and he couldn’t get out because the handles didn’t “present.” It was reported that he burned to death in agonizing pain all because he couldn’t exit his own vehicle. That just can’t happen, ever- initial quality or not. 
What if you live somewhere that the wifi is bad or there isn’t any available? Does that mean you don’t get an update and you’re still screwed if your car is one of the “unlucky” ones? (This isn’t a standoffish question, I’m genuinely curious.) Or like if there’s a service interruption for some reason mid-update, how do I know my car is safe?
I do like your movie analogy, it’s helping me to visualize the spreading of the cost of operating across  a “wider area.” >


If I’m a car manufacturer, I’m nipping that in the bud immediately, because is that not negative press that could contribute to a decline in sales? A person might want to buy one and then hear there’s little or no QC or customer service and then back out; a statement from the company wouldn’t hurt in that case I’d think.

I'm sure some people prefer a more finely finished car. Others think these issues are minor and prefer a Tesla anyway. Tesla customers are currently the most loyal customers in the auto industry.

The things I brought up like the fire are real situations, not just hypotheticals that have never happened. A gentleman who wanted to drive an EV to be eco-friendly in 2019 died after the Tesla caught on fire and he couldn’t get out because the handles didn’t “present.” It was reported that he burned to death in agonizing pain all because he couldn’t exit his own vehicle. That just can’t happen, ever- initial quality or not.

There are two sets of handles on every door. There's the fancy electric ones, and the backup ones. I'm not sure about the details, but I'm guessing the driver died because he panicked due to the accident and fire. He wasn't able to calm himself out of the state of shock before the flames engulfed him. This is unfortunately very common in fires. (I'd link a famous clip from the Office, but it's probably in bad taste since we're talking about someone who died here.)

What if you live somewhere that the wifi is bad or there isn’t any available? Does that mean you don’t get an update and you’re still screwed if your car is one of the “unlucky” ones? (This isn’t a standoffish question, I’m genuinely curious.) Or like if there’s a service interruption for some reason mid-update, how do I know my car is safe?

Tesla cars also come with cell service. And Elon Musk has another company called Starlink focused on providing satellite internet to areas without wifi. But the simple answer is that if you're in a place with a Tesla charger available, it almost certainly has wifi too. >


lack of quality control standards is going to be an absolute nightmare compounded by fewer Teslas on the road being owned by people that are doing right by their models in terms of upkeep.

A lot of the quality control issues have ended, but it doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.  The door handle design was entirely changed.  There's a lot of innovation going on in the factories that is extremely impressive like gigapress.  I think the price drop will put their cars in a far more completive place than other EV companies. >

the problem is that Tesla can't keep up with the newer models other manufacturers make, the market share they have is artificial though subsidies and other shady practices,  so they need to get a larger portion of the population hooked before they move to other electric cars who are quite frankly better then Tesla,  but they only have a limited time to do so, so cutting prices is going to be worth it in the long run, because buying a car isn't something people can do often, so if they wait its no sale vs lower sale now. >

Dude do you know anything about EVs? Expensive upkeep? You then double down that people won’t be able to afford the upkeep because “different care”? 
You’re falling hardcore for the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) and it sounds like you haven’t actually spoken with anyone who owns a Tesla, I suggest doing that before stating concern that you know what’s better for the company and their pricing strategy >

Umm… Inflation? I just graduated grad school 7 months ago and the cheapest Tesla model is still more than I make annually. So no, a lot of people living at or below median household income probably cannot afford an EV from that company. There are talks from others to make models as low as $20k after rebates which would make it obviously much more affordable for me to help the environment in that way.
This certainly didn’t change my view at all because it feels more like you’re just preaching at me about the stock than trying to flesh out a coherent rebuttal for me. >

You finished grad school, and your anual salary is under 45k? >

At current, yes. I did dual enrollment in high school so I could speed run my AA, transferred to a state school for the last half of that degree (saved my parents a shitload of money by doing that community college in high school), then as soon as I got my BA I left and started my graduate program not 3 months later. So because my life has been more book-heavy than practical work-heavy, I have to pay my societal dues and work my way up in terms of experience. Sometimes it’s a sticking point for me to know I’m smart and capable of doing what older people can, but my resume is much shorter and consists of more entry-level things because I had to get by. So of course to an employer they’re going to take someone who’s formally worked for longer and with more responsibilities. >

May I ask what field you're in? Because I'm not that much further out of college than you at about a year and a half, and I'm making like 70k plus overtime and bonuses for night/weekends/holidays. >

I studied Criminology (MS), Criminal Justice with a minor in Spanish (BA) and then just your regular AA. I’ve never made more than $16,000 in a year on paper because I started college at 15, so the hours you can work that young are severely limited. I had to push carts at a grocery store in the beginning and even then because I was still technically an HS student (both in age and the fact I hadn’t fulfilled all my credits yet, hence dual enrollment) I was only able to work up to 18 hours a week my freshman year. When I got to my BA program it was 20 hours (I was 17 going on 18 so age wasn’t a factor, but employment through the school said you could only work up to 20 hours a week.) I was scrounging 24 hours every paycheck.
I night audited part time to get through school, still work front desk now that the FAFSA is gone but it’s really hard to get in the door at 21 anywhere without them making you take the grunt work and shit pay. It sucks. >

I guess it's a field thing then. I got my masters at a regular pace, and wnet straight into a government job, which is significantly less than the salary I could have gotten elsewhere. >

When Tesla releases that truck, maybe the Roadster and really ramps up the semi trucks it will be fine.  It's a good time to buy the stock. >

The truck that is illegal almost everywhere in the world due to safety concerns? >

Tesla is facing increased competition, its just not really noticeable in North America. 
Tesla is the #1 EV brand in the world.  The next big brands are all Chinese with maybe Rivian who is high end
.  Chinese firms have played massive catch up, and sell in big numbers for less in China, Asia, Middle East and have entered Europe.  They still don't sell in North America so most just don't know its happening.  
Even the biggest Europe EV company, Polstar, is owned by the Chinese.
Tesla now sells about 15% of the global EV's.  As of December over 40% are now from Chinese firms with biggest being BYD. >

I’ve maybe seen like 3 Rivians in my whole life (a few more Polestars since I visited the PNW for Christmas), so you’re definitely correct there that the market hasn’t caught on fire here the way it has elsewhere. 
That said, doesn’t lowering the prices after already rolling out earnings expectations based on the prior price hurt the stock inherently? Or are those something they can just revise on the fly? Seems kind of sketchy if so (and I mean if any company can do this, not just singling them out). >

it seems like you have a thought that lower stock price is bad for tesla? it is not. what worse is if Tesla keeps their price but sells smaller numbers of cars. Tesla wants to keep their volumes to maintain their business agenda. ignore about the profit margin, businesses come first.
Tesla goal is to become a go to for EV car, not luxury car. it is luxury for now because of the price and the price only, the car feature itself should be/is a basic of EV car. in order for them to do that, Tesla needs to sell more cars not less.
as a company, Tesla know that current interest rate or government direction is to lower demand (to reduce inflation). that's why businesses, not only tesla, will try to cut price to maintain their volumes. Businesses want more demand from customer, one of the best way to do that in this environment is to cut price. >

It really seems like we're entering a recession. One of the hardest-hit sectors of the 2008 recession was the auto industry.  
So, Tesla might just be in total survival mode. Its not about profits anymore, its not about growth, its just about coasting through the recession. 
Plus, dropping prices is an attempt to build some customer loyalty, maybe an attempt to rehabilitate their image. And they'd be banking on customers remembering that both through the recession and after the recession.
We're currently seeing this with Costco, and their refusal to raise prices during inflation. And we're seeing this with  Disney lowering the prices to their park. >


I guess what I’m more nervous/concerned about is that if they’re already somewhat shoddy cars (and there have been a lot of posts on the internet showing poor welds, malfunctioning engines, handles that won’t extend, etc.) that require expensive upkeep, then they’re going to be even more dangerous cumulatively.

The best built products are mass produced. Coca-Cola, iPhones, Toyota Camrys, etc. You make a million of them. Then you notice a problem and fix it. Then you make another million. Then you notice another problem and fix it. By the time you produce 100 million products and counting, you've ironed out pretty much every possible issue. 
The shoddiest cars are expensive low volume cars. Ferraris, Rolls Royces, etc. are known for being ultra-high maintenence and extremely unreliable.
Teslas are expensive because they're a new technology. But they're not luxury cars like Lexuses or BMWs or something. They have very simple interiors. They're trying to build a mass produced high volume car that everyone can afford. That means making as many as they can as fast as they can, building more factories, etc. The goal is to win on volume, not margin. That means selling a ton of low-profit cars, not a few high-profit cars.

I think this because if more people (that are already less well-off than previous generations) are handling vehicles that they truly can’t afford to take care of and that do require a bit different care than your basic “fill tank, get an oil change, tune-up/alignment every blue moon and done”, then there are more chances that a malfunction of any of the aforementioned components or ones not listed could harm one or more people. So that could mean the door handles not coming out and a pet or child is trapped inside a hot box, a battery fire that could engulf the car and possibly scorch surrounding cars/people, and so on, being a lot more common than it already is.

The Tesla problems that you describe are in "initial quality." Many of the cars come out of the factory with problems like poor welding. Think about JD Power awards. But they're very reliable afterwards. Think Consumer Reports. They are extremely low maintenance because they don't have engines. Your iPhone doesn't need maintenance and neither does a Tesla. You have to keep the tires pumped up, but otherwise they only need some minor maintenance once every 5 years.

So that could mean the door handles not coming out and a pet or child is trapped inside a hot box, a battery fire that could engulf the car and possibly scorch surrounding cars/people, and so on, being a lot more common than it already is.

Teslas are mostly run by an iPad style tablet, but all the safety stuff is manual/seperate. That means the brakes, the steering wheel, the airbags, the seatbelts, etc. The doors are electronic, but they also have a manual release. The only risk is if people don't know how they work. But people didn't know how seatbelts worked at first either.
One of the cool things about Tesla is that that the cars can be updated over wifi, just like a phone. So if there's a problem discovered on the 10 millionth car, the previous 10 million cars get the update immediately too. This is another reason why the goal is selling lots of cars for a low price, not a few cars for a high price. The cost of improving one car is very high. But if you spread it over millions of cars every time, the cost per car is very low. So the more cars they sell, the most cost effective it becomes. Making movies is expensive, but then it costs the same if one person sees it or if a billion people see it. A $100 million movie to entertain one person costs $100 million per person. $100 million for a billion people means 10 cents per person. >

Thank you for such a detailed answer, you really went through with a fine-tooth comb and broke up the sections! You’re a saint because I’m on mobile haha.
I do agree that mass-produced things are generally better quality because of the standards they’re made to embody, but I’ve heard and read that Tesla doesn’t really have quality control at the moment. (If this is untrue, I’m happy to read otherwise!) If I’m a car manufacturer, I’m nipping that in the bud immediately, because is that not negative press that could contribute to a decline in sales? A person might want to buy one and then hear there’s little or no QC or customer service and then back out; a statement from the company wouldn’t hurt in that case I’d think.
The things I brought up like the fire are real situations, not just hypotheticals that have never happened. A gentleman who wanted to drive an EV to be eco-friendly in 2019 died after the Tesla caught on fire and he couldn’t get out because the handles didn’t “present.” It was reported that he burned to death in agonizing pain all because he couldn’t exit his own vehicle. That just can’t happen, ever- initial quality or not. 
What if you live somewhere that the wifi is bad or there isn’t any available? Does that mean you don’t get an update and you’re still screwed if your car is one of the “unlucky” ones? (This isn’t a standoffish question, I’m genuinely curious.) Or like if there’s a service interruption for some reason mid-update, how do I know my car is safe?
I do like your movie analogy, it’s helping me to visualize the spreading of the cost of operating across  a “wider area.” >


If I’m a car manufacturer, I’m nipping that in the bud immediately, because is that not negative press that could contribute to a decline in sales? A person might want to buy one and then hear there’s little or no QC or customer service and then back out; a statement from the company wouldn’t hurt in that case I’d think.

I'm sure some people prefer a more finely finished car. Others think these issues are minor and prefer a Tesla anyway. Tesla customers are currently the most loyal customers in the auto industry.

The things I brought up like the fire are real situations, not just hypotheticals that have never happened. A gentleman who wanted to drive an EV to be eco-friendly in 2019 died after the Tesla caught on fire and he couldn’t get out because the handles didn’t “present.” It was reported that he burned to death in agonizing pain all because he couldn’t exit his own vehicle. That just can’t happen, ever- initial quality or not.

There are two sets of handles on every door. There's the fancy electric ones, and the backup ones. I'm not sure about the details, but I'm guessing the driver died because he panicked due to the accident and fire. He wasn't able to calm himself out of the state of shock before the flames engulfed him. This is unfortunately very common in fires. (I'd link a famous clip from the Office, but it's probably in bad taste since we're talking about someone who died here.)

What if you live somewhere that the wifi is bad or there isn’t any available? Does that mean you don’t get an update and you’re still screwed if your car is one of the “unlucky” ones? (This isn’t a standoffish question, I’m genuinely curious.) Or like if there’s a service interruption for some reason mid-update, how do I know my car is safe?

Tesla cars also come with cell service. And Elon Musk has another company called Starlink focused on providing satellite internet to areas without wifi. But the simple answer is that if you're in a place with a Tesla charger available, it almost certainly has wifi too.