Chapter 2 : Strategic Planning for a competitive advantage

the company states, "We believe our operational infrastructure provides us with a competitive advantage compared to traditional automobile manufacturers." Tesla motors is informing consumers by the masses about electric cars and their company being the first to manufacture fully electric car. Tesla Motors uses proprietary technology, world-class design and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes to create a new generation of highway capable electric vehicles. There website and company own dealerships and showrooms are attracting new customers everyday. They are a fairly new company to the automobile market and are adapting to a market that is constantly changing. One of Tesla's stated goals is to increase the number and variety of Electronic Vehicles available to mainstream consumers in three ways: Tesla sells its own vehicles in a growing number of company owned showrooms and online; it sells patented electric power train components to other automakers. Toyota and Daimler AG, teamed up with Tesla to help develop batteries for their electric cars, and both invested in Tesla. I visited a showroom in Roosevelt field mall and they have a employee there that tells you all about the car and why you should purchase it. According to the sales representative they have sold 4,750 units of the Model S in 2013. Tesla employs under 3,000 people and for it to deliver 4,750 sedans is impressive. Model S even outsold similarly priced luxury BMW and Mercedes models in the first quarter. Tesla is marketing to upper middle class green friendly baby boomer generation. Model S is fashionable, environmentally safe, and looks better than the Prius. Elon Musk chairman, architect and CEO of Tesla has been a major factor in the company's strategic planning, including the design, engineering and manufacturing of more and more affordable electric vehicles. Right now these cars are pretty expensive and new. Elon has a plan to make it affordable to an average family. His plan is to enter the market at the high end where people are willing to pay the premium and when someone buys the Tesla Model S, they are actually helping pay for development of the low cost family car. the mission statement for Tesla is , "Tesla’s goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to electric mobility with a full range of increasingly affordable electric cars. We're catalyzing change in the industry. Tesla vehicles and EVs powered by Tesla are fun to drive and environmentally responsible."  

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/secret-tesla-motors-master-plan-just-between-you-and-me

Overview of Tesla Motors Model S

 Model S

Tesla motors was founded in 2003 by Elon musk and Martin Eberhard, they have been building a relationship with customers ever since. their first production car was the Tesla Roadster and now they've made the Model S.  Elon Musk took an active role within the Company and invested $7.5 million dollars with his personal funds to start up the company. in January 2010 they received a $465 million loan from the Energy Department and they received a third of that from private investors. the company was named after Nikon Tesla an American electrical engineer physicist and inventor. Tesla produces an effective and efficient alternative to gas driven vehicles. they manufacture and sell Sporty looking, environmentally safe, fully electric powered cars with zero emissions by using automobile power train technology. The charging of the vehicle is simple you can charge the car anywhere there is an outlet. if you leave the car in the garage over night plugged in it will be ready for you in the morning. A fully charged Tesla can go up to 300 miles. Depending on how far you will travel a day the charging time varies. Lets say you drive 30 miles everyday it will take 5 hours to charge your vehicle for those miles on a standard wall outlet. .The Company insists that you install a super powered wall connector before the vehicle is delivered through their partners Solar City. it will only take 30 minutes with a super powered wall connector to charge the Tesla for 30 miles. on average it will only cost about $10 to fully charge a Tesla that will take you 300 miles. Model S has something called battery swap, exchanging your battery for a fully charged battery in less than half the time it takes to refill a gas tank. This offers Model S drivers another, even faster option when recharging. They have there own free charging stations that are located near amenities like roadside diners, cafes, and shopping centers. Road trippers can stop for a quick meal and have their Model S charged when they’re done. Compared to a vehicle like the BMW 535i, Model S will save its owners approximately $8,000 over five years in fuel costs alone.

 "Tesla Motors cars combine style, acceleration, and handling with advanced technologies that make them among the quickest and the most energy-efficient cars on the road." Basically Tesla motors is trying to be swift in making the world switch from a gas powered car to a fully electric car and making it affordable. Tesla is using different methods and strategies to change the way the car industry makes and sells vehicles. I have chosen to blog about the marketing of Model S, because it is Tesla most talked about invention With a 0 to 60 mph acceleration of 5.6 seconds. it was first shown to the public in 2009 as a prototype. it was first delivered in Europe and became Norway's  best selling car. The car cost about $80,000. The Model S ranked as the top selling plug-in electric car in North America during the first quarter of 2013 with 4,900 cars sold, ahead of the Chevrolet Volt (4,421) and the Nissan Leaf (3,695). Model S has won several awards and recognition's like the 2013 World Green Car of the Year, 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year, Automobile Magazine's 2013 Car of the Year, Time Magazine Best 25 Inventions of the Year 2012 award, Consumer Reports' top-scoring car ever, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA top ranked 5 star safety rating. In March 2013 Tesla reported they produced on average more than 500 Model S EVs per week. Model S is currently being sold in North America, Europe, and soon Asia.

"Burn Rubber Not Gas"

Every Tesla with an infotainment screen offering applications like weather and Internet browsing is also running on AT&T