Did Tesla fumble key elements of the model X launch? Although the Model X has received very favorable reviews from the automotive and world wide press, there are two BIG problems with the way the launch was handled.

There is still no price for the Model X. If you go on the Tesla site, they provide a great deal of info on design, safety, etc..BUT how much does the car cost? Even if you click on the red, “Reserve Yours” button, there is no info provided on the exact cost of the product you are ordering.  The only info on cost is the required $5,000 reservation requirement.

If a customer decides to order a vehicle and plunk down five grand to reserve a car, they have no solid info on how much they will ultimately pay. Customers will have to wait until the latter half of 2016 to even get the car. Why is there such a long wait? Are there production issues? Why is there no price?  Those unanswered questions have invited a LOT of negative speculation from Wall Street analysts.

Elon Musk has a solid track record of delivering incredible products and incredible companies (Paypal, Space X, Powerwall, Solar City and the Hyperloop), making this launch a very strange aberration indeed.

For the sake of both die hard Tesla fans and investors, let’s hope the company addresses these two key issues quickly.

Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.