Photo: @niccruzpatane, @WholeMarsBlog via X
Things must not look very good for Tesla sales because the EV maker is already offering incentives to people to replace their old EVs. The free FSD transfer is back on the menu after Tesla tried to lure buyers with unlimited Supercharging transfers. The best part is that you can combine these offers with other incentives, making it a hard-to-pass package.
Tesla has traditionally tried to accelerate sales toward the end of each quarter. This year, things are different, though. We're in the first week of February, and the EV maker is pulling all the strings to make people order a new Tesla. Since a year ago, this usually meant cutting prices, but this year, things are different. Tesla is trying to leverage non-financial incentives instead of giving up a chunk of its profits.
Cutting prices has proven an effective method of convincing people to buy. Elon Musk famously said that demand for a Tesla would be infinite had people afford to buy one. This might not be entirely accurate today, as some Tesla models are just as affordable as their ICE equivalents. Still, many people don't know this and think that electric vehicles are too expensive to even consider.
Even though Musk promised to try "a little advertising," Tesla's efforts in this direction were lackluster at best. With little hope of expanding the total addressable market, Tesla is again turning to its loyal customer base and trying to convince them they need a new Tesla. This time, instead of price cuts, Tesla put free FSD and unlimited Supercharging transfer back on the menu, a powerful incentive for people with older EVs.
Tesla offered free unlimited Supercharging to early customers who bought a Model S and Model X before 2018. Many still clung to their old EVs, especially if they used them for taxi or ride-hailing. Tesla offered free unlimited Supercharging transfers last October for a limited period to boost end-of-year sales. Tesla vowed to deliver 1.8 million EVs in 2023, and not meeting that target would've caused investors' ire.
Things changed in 2024, as the EV maker declined to offer guidance on production or deliveries. Some interpret this as a bad sign, but it can also be a way to relieve Tesla from the burden of achieving some artificial targets. Still, Elon Musk's company is now trying to jumpstart sales at the start of the year, when traditionally, people have other things on their minds than buying a new car.
To make this happen, Tesla offered free unlimited Supercharging transfers again in case there were owners left who hadn't upgraded their vehicles in 2023. However, Tesla sweetened the deal this time with another hard-to-pass offer: free FSD transfer. This proved quite popular last summer when it was first tested.
FSD transfer energized sales in the third quarter of 2023, especially as Elon Musk warned it was a "one-time amnesty." As such, it was more of a demand lever for Tesla than an attempt to do the right thing for its customers. Despite what Musk said, Tesla is again offering FSD transfer until March 31. The offer can be cumulated with the free unlimited Supercharging transfer and other federal and state incentives.
All Tesla vehicles in the US and Canada are eligible for the new offer, with the notable exception of the Cybertruck. This was somehow unexpected, even though the electric pickup still can't run FSD Beta for now. We get the Supercharging offer, though, as the Foundation Series Cybertrucks already come with free Supercharging for life.
Cutting prices has proven an effective method of convincing people to buy. Elon Musk famously said that demand for a Tesla would be infinite had people afford to buy one. This might not be entirely accurate today, as some Tesla models are just as affordable as their ICE equivalents. Still, many people don't know this and think that electric vehicles are too expensive to even consider.
Even though Musk promised to try "a little advertising," Tesla's efforts in this direction were lackluster at best. With little hope of expanding the total addressable market, Tesla is again turning to its loyal customer base and trying to convince them they need a new Tesla. This time, instead of price cuts, Tesla put free FSD and unlimited Supercharging transfer back on the menu, a powerful incentive for people with older EVs.
Tesla offered free unlimited Supercharging to early customers who bought a Model S and Model X before 2018. Many still clung to their old EVs, especially if they used them for taxi or ride-hailing. Tesla offered free unlimited Supercharging transfers last October for a limited period to boost end-of-year sales. Tesla vowed to deliver 1.8 million EVs in 2023, and not meeting that target would've caused investors' ire.
Things changed in 2024, as the EV maker declined to offer guidance on production or deliveries. Some interpret this as a bad sign, but it can also be a way to relieve Tesla from the burden of achieving some artificial targets. Still, Elon Musk's company is now trying to jumpstart sales at the start of the year, when traditionally, people have other things on their minds than buying a new car.
To make this happen, Tesla offered free unlimited Supercharging transfers again in case there were owners left who hadn't upgraded their vehicles in 2023. However, Tesla sweetened the deal this time with another hard-to-pass offer: free FSD transfer. This proved quite popular last summer when it was first tested.
FSD transfer energized sales in the third quarter of 2023, especially as Elon Musk warned it was a "one-time amnesty." As such, it was more of a demand lever for Tesla than an attempt to do the right thing for its customers. Despite what Musk said, Tesla is again offering FSD transfer until March 31. The offer can be cumulated with the free unlimited Supercharging transfer and other federal and state incentives.
All Tesla vehicles in the US and Canada are eligible for the new offer, with the notable exception of the Cybertruck. This was somehow unexpected, even though the electric pickup still can't run FSD Beta for now. We get the Supercharging offer, though, as the Foundation Series Cybertrucks already come with free Supercharging for life.
For FSD and free lifetime Supercharging transfer, they're all stackable with inventory discounts. So if someone has a legacy Model S/X with free supercharging & FSD, they can get an inventory discounted Model Y with FSD, unlimited free supercharging & the $7,500 Fed EV credit https://t.co/FuOwvj2614
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) February 4, 2024
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