The sounds are not that intrusive...While others have pointed out the costs involved in solving them, the real question is "will muting each and every sound sell more cars?". Of course from an engineering point of view the other question is "are these sounds indicative of something that will fail prematurely?". The complexity of adding some sort of muting may introduce other modes of failure. Sometimes the best solution is the simple solution.At this point in the EV marketplace the I would say the answer is no to both questions. Tesla is far better concentrating their engineering teams on new products that can continue their growth.
Now if some competitor comes up with a perfectly quiet car and that becomes a selling point, then it is time to revisit the engineering.
groby_b|2 years ago
Maybe muting sounds won't. But a general focus on quality will. There's a good amount of potential customers who consider Tesla low quality. There's a good amount of EV competitors who deliver better quality, these days.
And, more importantly, it might not sell more cars next quarter. But not doing that will lead to a continued decline in perception, and that is a price that's only paid a few years later.
Growth mattered above all when Tesla was creating the market. That is shifting right now, and a "new products! growth!" approach won't be the winning strategy for much longer. And, most importantly, cars are not software. You can't fix reputational issues with a patch.
If Tesla waits until the competitors are quiet, it's too late. "We're almost as good as our competitor" is not a helpful selling strategy for cars. For most consumers, a car is a long-term (4-8 years) commitment, bought on a very reputational basis.
seadan83|2 years ago
LargeTomato|2 years ago