2019 Tesla Model 3 Long Range on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bond manager has odd advice for Tesla: stop making cars

Tesla Motors said in the release of its first-quarter earnings Wednesday that it will boost its quarterly production on its Model S luxury sedan to as many as 9,000 from the approximately 7,500 it made during the first three months of the year. Bond manager Jeffrey Gundlach doesn't believe that's a good thing. Gundlach, founder of DoubleLine Capital LP, told Bloomberg News that, while Tesla is a better investment than fast-growth companies like Twitter, the automaker would improve its financial results by halting production of its vehicles and dedicating itself to making battery packs for other automakers. A spokesman for Tesla, whose shares are up almost 40 percent this year, declined to comment to Bloomberg. We'll just sit here and imagine Tesla-powered Nissan Leafs and Chevy Volts. Back in the real world, aside from its own vehicles, Tesla makes battery packs for the Toyota RAV4 EV and for some versions of the Smart Fortwo ED and the B-Class EV. Tesla and Toyota first announced their collaborative effort in 2010, which included Toyota's equity investment in Tesla as Tesla prepared to take over the old NUMMI plant in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tesla said Wednesday that it took a $49.8-million first-quarter loss. Compare that to a year-earlier net income of $11.2 million. That's despite boosting revenue 10 percent from a year earlier to $620.5 million. That's largely because Tesla's selling, general and administrative costs more than doubled from a year earlier to $117.6 million.

Win a car while supporting a charity this holiday season

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze.  The leaves have fallen, there is a crispness to the air and there have already been multiple forecasts of snow, which can only mean one thing: We're coming up on Christmas. While you've been busy thinking about what kind of gifts you're going to give your loved ones, we here at Autoblog have been deciding which dream car we'd like to see in our driveway on Christmas morning. A car for Christmas does seem a bit extreme and expensive, but thanks to these Omaze sweepstakes, it doesn't have to break the bank. Here are the current sweepstakes we'd like to win this holiday season. Win a DeLorean DMC-12 - Enter at Omaze James Riswick, West Coast Editor: Let me be clear, the DeLorean is a pretty terrible car. Its speedometer doesn't even go up to the fabled 88 mph. Seriously, look at the pictures: tops out at 85. Also, who services a DeLorean? And how much would it cost to maintain one? $AlloftheMoney or just $MostoftheMoney? So owning it could be a total headache, but at least by winning one through Omaze, you'd be relieved of the financial burden of buying one in the first place. You'd also get the chance to own one of the most iconic cars of all time, one that transcends car enthusiasm and is instantly recognizable by everyone as the "Back to the Future" car. Plus, "everyone" doesn't know that the DeLorean was actually a pretty terrible car. So, I already own James Bond's car from 1995, why not Doc Brown's from 1985? Win a 2021 Bentley Bentayga V8 - Enter at Omaze Eddie Sabatini, Production Manager: Why am I choosing a +$200K Bentley SUV? Because even if I could afford one I'd never be able to wrap my head around spending money on one. So why not try to win one by donating what I can afford to a good cause? I first saw the Bentley Bentayga up close and personal at the Frankfurt Motor Show (I forget which year but I'll never forget this SUV). And although it looks like the Bentayga Omaze is offering up doesn't have the opulent tailgate setup I fell in love with when I saw it in Frankfurt, I'd still enter to win. Win a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda - Enter at Omaze Byron Hurd, Editor: Few automotive marketing efforts stick out in my head more than the Mercedes-Benz holiday spots and magazine placements.

Tesla Model X reservations 20,000 strong and counting

Those falcon wing doors appear appropriate for the Tesla Model X, as pre-orders for the battery-electric SUV are flying. That's what Gas2.0 is saying, citing various sources. So despite Model X deliveries not happening until the spring of 2015, folks are lining up. Company spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson called the estimated sales figures "merely speculation." All told, more than 20,000 Model X vehicles have been pre-ordered from Tesla's retooled Fremont, CA, plant. In fact, sales are accelerating, as about 8,000 of the SUVs have been ordered during the past six months, and more than 1,300 were pre-ordered in August alone. And that's despite the fact that Tesla has disclosed neither the Model X's price nor its single-charge range. Either way, the percentage split is about 75/25 for North America vs. oversees orders, according to Gas2.0. If there were really 1,300 units ordered in August, the Model X would be the fourth best-selling plug-in in the US, trailing only the Nissan Leaf battery-electric, Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in and, of course, the Tesla Model S sedan. Tesla itself is being quiet about its figures. Company spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson, in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen, called the estimated sales figures "merely speculation" and declined to confirm them. In late July, Tesla said it delivered a quarterly record 7,579 vehicles for the three months that ended June 30 and that it was on track to deliver more than 35,000 vehicles this year. And more recently, Tesla said it planned to build its massive gigafactory near Reno, NV, as the Silver State promised an incentive package worth over $1.2 billion over the next two decades.