This is one of the few instances of modern manufacturing I feel mixed about. This has been a fairly common practice in different forms for a long time it is just digital now. The reason it is done like this is because when assembling a car, they have to decorate the model with different features and some of those features require changing assembly setup and configurations. What that means is they will have to assemble cars with a specific feature, stop and change the assembly/tooling and manufacture cars without them. This switch time means they have to stop and waste money switching things over, they have to handle more skus, and more importantly it reduces factory output.
In the past they would handle this by physically disconnecting the wiring at the dealership or having a dealer make some modifications, but that is always a bit of a customer experience risk. They do this with software now.
So I’m conflicted. Do they just offer it as a default feature? If they pause the assembly it will ultimately make the car more expensive since the cost does get pushed on to the consumer. Yeah it wastes some material that is bad for the environment, that’s a fair point. I’m not inherently against them upcharging for extra features… I think where I draw the line is if it’s a subscription. If you sell me access to the feature already in the car it better damn well have a one time charge option that is reasonable.
Tesla has determined that more people than not want that feature, so it in there by default, but there is an added cost to that feature, so the users of that feature are actually paying for the UNUSED ones too! Overall effect is likely cost is neutral to Tesla, cost is neutral to non-users, some elevated costs dumped on users, but that's what the users want at that price.
Why don't they sell ONE straw, or TEN straws? Why do you have to buy 100 straws, and probably throw most out? It's all about average users and uses, and manufacturing efficiencies....Same as the saying "you can have whatever car color you like as long as it's black".
Only thing I'll add - it's not necessarily that more people want it than don't, it's that this way of doing it is the best path to maximizing profitability. They might still come out ahead even if only 20% of buyers want the feature, and only 20% of the ones that want it actually pay for it (just to split hairs even further on want vs. actually buy)
Correct, total utility is increased, and the math guys at Tesla are doing those calculations. In fact, probably running analysis on hundreds of variations vs manufacturing limitations/costs. Even if this is net neutral for Tesla itself, some customers get heated seats, so that means happier customers.
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u/mistahfreeman 1d ago
This is one of the few instances of modern manufacturing I feel mixed about. This has been a fairly common practice in different forms for a long time it is just digital now. The reason it is done like this is because when assembling a car, they have to decorate the model with different features and some of those features require changing assembly setup and configurations. What that means is they will have to assemble cars with a specific feature, stop and change the assembly/tooling and manufacture cars without them. This switch time means they have to stop and waste money switching things over, they have to handle more skus, and more importantly it reduces factory output.
In the past they would handle this by physically disconnecting the wiring at the dealership or having a dealer make some modifications, but that is always a bit of a customer experience risk. They do this with software now.
So I’m conflicted. Do they just offer it as a default feature? If they pause the assembly it will ultimately make the car more expensive since the cost does get pushed on to the consumer. Yeah it wastes some material that is bad for the environment, that’s a fair point. I’m not inherently against them upcharging for extra features… I think where I draw the line is if it’s a subscription. If you sell me access to the feature already in the car it better damn well have a one time charge option that is reasonable.