Joe Skipper / Reuters
- Elon Musk said on Tuesday that Tesla should not have temporarily lowered the price of Autopilot, its semi-autonomous driver-assistance system.
- Musk added that Autopilot prices would "revert to normal on Monday."
- While he appeared to be referring to post-purchase discounts for existing vehicle owners rather than the pre-purchase price changes Tesla made at the end of February, he did not make explicit which he was describing.
- Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Elon Musk said on Tuesday that Tesla should not have temporarily lowered the price of Autopilot, its semi-autonomous driver-assistance system.
"In retrospect, lower price shouldn’t have been offered. Was done so because some simply couldn’t afford it." Musk tweeted.
Musk added that Autopilot prices would "revert to normal on Monday." While he appeared to be referring to post-purchase discounts for existing vehicle owners rather than the pre-purchase price changes Tesla made at the end of February, he did not make explicit which he was describing.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On February 28, Tesla lowered the prices of its vehicles and Autopilot, while shifting some Autopilot features into an upgrade package. Before the decrease, Autopilot had cost $5,000 before delivery and $7,000 after delivery. Customers could also purchase hardware that Tesla said would eventually make full autonomy possible for $3,000 before delivery and $5,000 after delivery.
Autopilot’s basic features now cost $3,000 before delivery and $4,000 after delivery, though some features that were previously included in the basic Autopilot package, like the ability to park and make lane changes with driver assistance, were shifted into an upgrade package that costs $5,000 before delivery and $7,000 after delivery.
In early March, Tesla said it would lower the post-delivery price of Autopilot and the upgrade package for existing customers to $2,000 and $3,000, respectively. The move frustrated some Tesla owners who tweeted at Musk, saying the decrease was unfair to owners who had purchased Autopilot before the price decrease.
Tesla announced on Sunday that it would raise the prices for all of its vehicles aside from the $35,000 base version of the Model 3 sedan by 3% after decreasing prices by an average of around 6%. The price increase accompanied a reversal of the automaker’s decision to close or repurpose all of its retail stores in an effort to shift sales online and cut costs.
"We have decided to keep significantly more stores open than previously announced as we continue to evaluate them over the course of several months," the automaker said on its website. "As a result of keeping significantly more stores open, Tesla will need to raise vehicle prices by about 3% on average worldwide."
Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.
- Read more:
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Source: Business Insider – mmatousek@businessinsider.com (Mark Matousek)