Ianhill said:
I won't rule tesla out they could branch out just like toyota has with Lexus and turn the model s x y and 3 into a luxury chain and move a new brand at the cheaper end of the market utilizing components from the brother brand but with a raspi for the infotainment system and cut throat self driving system just basic pedestrian safety and braking etc if they pulled that one out the bag in a yaris size car then they will dominate bit these current wagons are to luxury to hit a wide enough audience.
Not practical to do any self driving that isn't the state of the art available at the time no matter what cost it adds to the vehicle. This is because it's a life safety thing, and the liability of not doing the best you could offer (within practical bounds) at the time is the minimum you can offer while a system is still in the infancy portion of the development curve.
There seems to be some big confusion about what happens when "The big players" get involved and that it will give them some advantage over Tesla.
Tesla is already using mfg tech that's already better optimized than what the major automotive players are using.
Tesla is already as or more vertically integrated in supply chain for the entire vehicle than the other major automotive players.
Tesla already has the TIER1 OEM supply chain access and supply chain pricing the major OEM's get.
Tesla has an installed and incredibly powerful supercharger network, other major OEM's are years behind just in permitting for sites.
Most importantly, Tesla already has ~10years of a whole-assed EV focus as a company.
The car companies today employing poison-spraying contraption glorifying folks in upper-level decision making positions in their company will be car brands you occasionally see in museums.
The sportscar/hypercar companies that haven't already abandoned ICE related development entirely will fall out of performance relevance to become symbolic gesture relics of what people with low standards once thought was fast.
In just the next few years, the vehicle market will perceive the farting noises of the ICE engine will become representative of adjectives like "weak, toxic, smelly, obnoxious, uninspiring, pointless-complexity and hassles." At this time, no matter how big the brand, if they are tying their brand to products people view with these adjectives, then their brand won't be valuable anymore in consumer eyes anyways.
This is why I don't see the other big automotive players as a threat to Tesla. They will all of course try to make a last minute whole-assed effort at becoming EV companies as consumer demand shifts from changing consumer awareness. However, when they shift, they aren't shifting to any improved mfg tech, or any improved supply chain, and they aren't shifting to greater vertical integration. They will just be starting the race a decade late to the line, but without any magical advantage to jump forward in mfg that Tesla isn't already leveraging themselves.