However, Tesla today is an integrated energy company. They make Solar Cells (the part of the business formerly called SolarCity), Stationary Battery Systems (generally referred to as Tesla Energy) that range in size from residential to grid sized and of course cars (which ultimately also use batteries).
Comparing them to car companies is like comparing Amazon with bookstores. Yes Tesla is a car company and yes Amazon is a bookstore. But both both of them are so much more than those simple comparison.
In fact I suspect the Amazon comparison here is rather apt because Amazon is now in the situation where Amazon Web Services is essentially able to prop up the retail business. I suspect Tesla Energy will be able to prop up the car business in the near future.
End of the day, even with all they have achieved, the whole machine blows up once the hype train pulls to a halt.
Come to think of it, that almost sounds like what Tessa is beginning to achieve with large scale electrical storage. [1]
[1]: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/business/energy-enviro...
People love the machines they make.
Ford can add body stylings all they want, but they can't match tesla or spacex or solar city.
I just don't think they have it in their DNA - I'm actually surprised we haven't heard of any of the big three going all out attempting to acquire tesla.
What would be a very interesting event would be when Tessa builds a long haul delivery truck/trucks in general. There is no way they haven't thought of a general platform chassis which can have modular tops put on them.
Wouldn't it be great if tesla sold a chassis to boutique shops like there were in the 20s...
I'm not. The big three don't have enough cash to pay the market cap multiple needed to gain control, especially now that Tesla is bigger than Ford.
No sane lender would loan the money to one of the big three to do it either - first, the money would be better spent just buying Tesla stock and second, there is no way that Tesla would be run better by pulling it into one of the big three car comnpanies, none of which have a strong non-incremental innovation culture.
When electric has a positive ROI, it will be just another drivetrain from Ford.
Look at the sad tale of post-bankruptcy Kmart, and how they used hype, valuation and newly available credit to gobble up Sears. Predicable trainwreck ensued.
Tesla is alike and different. They have an amazing management team, Apple-like religious fervor/hype machine, but a marginal product category. Their continued growth is only possible as long as they can convince people that they aren't a commodity like any of the 50 other car companies.