Model X Australian Commercial Shows It's a Good Thing Tesla Doesn't Advertise

Instead, it relies on word of mouth, free press articles (such as this one), its referral program, and, we can only assume, blind luck to sell its cars. So far, the system proved to be successful since, as far as we know, there are no stocks of unwanted new Teslas, but a rather huge waiting list.

However, the company does occasionally release short, testimonial videos of people who bought a Tesla and are super happy about it. They don't make it on TV or any other type of paid media, but they are as close as you can get to a Tesla commercial.

The latest one shows us Helena, an Australian mother of three who used to own an Audi Q5. After a week with the Model X, she was convinced to trade her old car in for one of Tesla's electric SUVs and never look back. The clip down below explains her reasoning.

For one thing, she claims that the first thing she looks for in a family car is safety. We get that Tesla likes to brag about the Model X's excellent safety ratings, but doubt it's the first criteria. Or, at least, the only one. The safest vehicle out there is useless as a family car if it can't fit the entire family, so roominess should be the sine qua non requirement.

Helena then goes on about how easy to handle and easy to drive the X was, a sensation that was probably enhanced by the vehicle's virtually complete silent running, no doubt. She then says that a "five-hour drive felt like about 45 minutes." Wait, what?

Unless Helena found a wormhole somewhere on her way to Mt. Hotham, that's absolutely ridiculous. Yes, the quietness inside an EV can be very calming, making long journeys more enjoyable, but that was a crass exaggeration if we ever saw one. Had she laughed a little while saying it, we'd know that she was joking, but since she didn't, we now suspect she has issues approximating time instead.

Relying on other people to praise your cars instead of doing it yourself through classic advertising is probably a smart strategy of Tesla, but the public isn't stupid. It sees this clip and can easily tell it's got "corporate" written all over. And, as Tesla told them so many times, they don't trust "corporate."