Want To Know Just How Tesla's New Autopilot Works? We Have Got Everything Right Here

Cool software, cool hardware...biggest implication...since it cannot be retrofitted onto last gen Tesla's, they will soon take on the residual characteristics of and iPhone4 on Ebay.

Hopefully most of you Tesla fanboys/fangirls have leased your Tesla's, else you may be stuck with a large paperweight once your ownership experience is complete!

Heavenly response.

What a revelation! I would characterize your finding as a "lightbulb moment", except that it's at the dimmest setting.

Seriously though, why would existing AP become obsolete? It's clearly said in the article that older cars will be able to upgrade to more powerful on board computer and hence more sophisticated AP software using existing hardware.

As with any machine or instrument laden with modern tech, anyone with reasonable expectations would see the upgrades coming on a regular basis. I don't have a Tesla so I don't know how owners would think about this massive change but I would venture to say they welcome it. Why wouldn't they if the change represents a vast improvement over the existing system?

As a comparison, what do you do when you buy your 2017 [fill in the name here] car knowing its tech is already obsolete and will be replaced by something better in a few years?

Most cars roll along on 7 year cycles and have 'normal' and predictable depreciation curves.

Tesla's resale market is anything buy normal. They control the supply and they control (prop up?) the value. Do you have any friends who own a Tesla? Ask them how long it took Tesla to ask them to "upgrade" to a new one. Usually is about 9 months. The whole company is an accounting game.

I would love to know where Tesla warehouses all the "trade-in" Tesla's that they have bought back or taken on trade. That type of transparency (i.e. the number of used vehicles they have and the value they assign to them) is not really obvious by looking at their financial statements.

Most automakers would wait until a model year change over to announce a change of this sort (so as not to cannibalize sales out of the existing year/model). Tesla in contrast may be so eager to juice their sales and production volumes that they are starting to rely on an endless 'hype' cycle to try and accomplish this.

Its the old strategy to "show growth" at any cost...but then the bottom falls out because the profitability was never there in the first place or the profitability becomes completely illusive.

The reason for Tesla's resale value to remain high is simple: desirability. This trait is not limited to Tesla if you know where to look. Comparing it to your "normal" car is pointless.

Also your conspiracy theory holds as much water as a sieve. Resale data is publicly available, again you will need to know where to look (DMV records, ads, ...). Using your opinion here doesn't help your case. Don't mix this up with UFO files.

Companies are not required to report certain internal numbers as long as they meet SEC requirements. Transparency does not mean that you the Joe public can look at every detail of their book, and they don't have to tell you every detail of their operations. These detail will certainly be available to the regulators in case of an audit, but not to the casual observers like you and those on Seeking Alpha.

And on what basis did you say "Tesla ... to juice their sales and production volumes" ? That sounds like a serious accusation to me - do you have a lawyer friend to help you in case you have to defend this accusation ?

You LEASE.

Of all the Tesla owners I know, none have traded in their old Model S for a newer one yet although one is thinking about it. The 9 month comment is pulled out of the air. Sure, their might be some that upgrade constantly but that is definitely not the norm. If I could afford it, I probably would the same as I upgrade phones each year.

Teslas will not hold their value because just like PCs the technology will leap each generation and very quickly today's tech will be old tech and the new tech will not only be better but it will then to be less expensive.