Quote Of The Day: Humbled Before The Factory Edition

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

We don’t yet have understanding and expertise when it comes to mass production or even limited mass production. There is so much to learn, I don’t know quite where to start.Tesla CEO Elon Musk has finally figured out that making lots of cars is a tough business to get into. Humbling himself before Toyota and Automotive News [sub] Musk presented Akio Toyoda with a red Roadster 2.5, and admitted he needed help. And why not? It isn’t hard to see that without Toyota, all of Musk’s future plans (20k Model S units per year by 2013… then 200k annual production for the company’s next model) are as good as vapor. Which is funny, because Musk hasn’t always been quite this humble. In fact, at the height of the Auto Bailout, Musk told Wired When the mess gets sorted out, I’d like to have a conversation with whoever’s in charge at the time — the car czar or whoever — and say “I’d like to run your plants, if you don’t mind”

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Crosley Crosley on Nov 12, 2010

    It's always upset me that this man (and his company) have never been really exposed by the mainstream media. From everything I've been able to gather, tesla is essentially vaporware run by a Mark Cuban wannabe. These dot.com brats simply don't understand that they won the lottery, they're success is essentially built on a fluke. They're not brilliant business Titans, most of them wouldn't even be able to hold down a real job. If manufacturing electric cars for the masses were easy, every automaker would be doing it. It's not some grand conspiracy, and they're not smarter than everyone else.

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    • Daanii2 Daanii2 on Nov 13, 2010

      Good points. That's all true. It is a matter of degree. Certainly in carmaking the trend is for carmakers to make less and less of their cars. Magna even builds some cars for some of the carmakers, and just puts their label on. But Tesla claims to be a carmaker. They are not. They seem like so many of the dotcoms. Promising so much, delivering so little.

  • Conslaw Conslaw on Nov 12, 2010

    Not only do you have to make 100,000 cars, you have to sell them. You have to make spare parts, and teach people how to repair them when they break. You also have to be able to recall them when they don't stop when suddenly accellerate or don't stop when they're supposed to.

  • AaronH AaronH on Nov 13, 2010

    Musk is just a freakish applause-seeking egomaniac (Like any Hollywood dolt) that is pushed into the media for idiot massman consumption reasons...He is not a real talented Engineer which is why he is in San Jose I reckon. I am sure Toyota was forced into the relationship with Tesla by the US Government as a condition to get off Toyota's back. The goof can't figure this out...Why not? It really is just simple math. Stick to PayPal-type crap, Musk!

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    • Daanii2 Daanii2 on Nov 13, 2010
      Regarding patents: The beauty of the Tesla is the battery management – these patents would be well worth having because it enable the repurposing of off the shelf parts ( laptop batteries). That’s worth billions in R&D savings. Tesla's battery pack patents are next to worthless. Look at the "inventors." None of them has any real knowledge of batteries. If they did, one of those inventors, Martin Eberhard, now works for Volkswagen. Tesla's battery packs have yet to find a customer outside Tesla. Now they never will.
  • Robert.Walter Robert.Walter on Nov 13, 2010

    This article got me to wondering ... It is well known that (often) "Pride goeth before the fall", so, is there a potential corrolary "humility goeth before the upswing"?

    • Telegraph Road Telegraph Road on Nov 13, 2010

      A Proverbs quote: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." From the photo, I am reminded of this Othello line: "Thou dolt, you're as ignorant as dirt."

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