Based on this, I guess I need to buy a Tesla and put it under "investments" in my net worth statement
Strangely, if you look at how Tesla calculates their lease cost it doesn't seem that Tesla is considering these increasing in value.
Tesla vehicles are now ‘appreciating assets’ due to self-driving capability, says Elon Musk
I wonder what estimated ROI is on this.
Saw that, and here's what I found really interesting - the author of that article, Fred Lambert, writes most of their Tesla articles, and is of course, a big fan of Tesla and all things 'EV' (as expected from a writer for an outlet dedicated to " the transition from fossil fuel transportation to electric and the surrounding clean ecosystems.").
The last few articles he's written... I really get a sense of
"ummm, What Musk is saying is beyond a stretch". I really sense that even perennial fan Fred Lambert is getting tired of apologizing and trying to spin Musk's words.
So Musk says cars are "depreciating assets" (as most are), the fuller quote:
“Buying a car today is an investment into the future. I think the most profound thing is that if you buy a Tesla today, I believe you are buying an appreciating asset – not a depreciating asset.”
So in a very loose sense, I could go so far as to accept a tiny bit of this, like if Tesla really expands on what AutoPilot can do, and it is considered to be worth more than you paid for it when you bought it.
But that's a long way from the Tesla being an appreciating asset. What would it take for the Tesla you bought last year to be worth more next year? Well, if it was Autopilot enhancements that made it worth more, a potential buyer of your car could go out and buy a new Tesla with those features. So why would he pay more for your used Tesla? The only way for that to happen is for Tesla to raise prices of their new cars substantially. And then of course, Musk can no longer make the claim for those cars, unless he can repeat this with software upgrade after software upgrade, and manage to keep selling Teslas at the new higher and higher prices, over and over again.
If no one has an alternative, I gotta say Musk is full of it on this one, as he has been on so many other things (there is lots of demand for Model 3, just not at these prices?). I think the walls are cracking, the desperation is growing.
-ERD50