Tesla, the leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has been in the limelight for its pricing strategy, which has received criticism from Renault CEO Luca de Meo. De Meo stated that Tesla’s approach to pricing could harm customer confidence in the value of their electric vehicles. While Tesla is different from other car manufacturers in the market, it is known for its fluctuating vehicle prices.
Last year, Tesla raised its prices, and earlier this year, the company implemented price cuts on its entire vehicle lineup. However, de Meo raised concerns about Tesla’s pricing strategy, stating that it is damaging value for the customer. He hopes that Tesla will continue to reduce prices, but Renault will always protect the value of its electric vehicles.
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De Meo’s criticism of Tesla comes as Renault becomes the third-largest electric vehicle brand in Europe. Despite his negative comments, de Meo’s perspective makes sense to a point. After Tesla’s price cuts earlier this year, numerous electric vehicle owners who were persuaded by the company to take delivery of their cars by the end of 2022 were unhappy.
In response, an online petition was filed asking Tesla to provide compensation to late 2022 customers. The petition suggested that Tesla offer free Supercharging miles or a free one-year FSD subscription to late 2022 customers. While the petition was dismissed by some members of the EV community, it highlighted the customers’ disappointment and raised questions about Tesla’s pricing strategy.
It is worth noting that without Tesla’s late 2022 customers, the company would not have been able to deliver a total of 1,313,851 vehicles in 2022, representing a growth of 40% year-over-year. Nevertheless, Tesla needs to maintain customer confidence in its electric vehicles’ value, especially with the rise of competitors like Renault in the European market.
